Quick Man: The Robot Who Followed Me Home
by LBCwriter562
Summary: AU: Nate Figueroa is your average "Valley Kid" in the San Fernando Valley whom always wanted a robot of his own. Skating home, Nate finds an abandoned one in an alley. However, instead of a friendly first meeting, an unexpected turn of events occur.
1. The Robot in the Alley

_**DISCLAIMER: **__I DO NOT OWN THE MEGA MAN SERIES AND THEIR RESPECTIVE CHARACTERS, BUT RATHER CAPCOM AND KEIJI INAFUNE DO, SO NO SUING ME!!. _

_- _

_Hope this chapter is written to your liking. Don't kill me on the grammar!! And don't forget to review!! _

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Nathan Figueroa was leisurely skateboarding home from school on a cool and chilly December's day. A junior at Reseda High School in Reseda, California, and residing in the rolling foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains in the neighborhood of Encino, Nate, as most others called him, was your typical _Valley Kid_, being born and raised in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles. Rolling along Reseda Blvd in his red and yellow trimmed Volcom shirt, grey Hollister hoodie, faded stonewashed jeans, and black low-cut Chucks, Nate let a grumble escape from his mouth as he held a piece of paper in his hand.

"Holy shit man…" Nate hissed as a pair of hazel colored eyes leered upon the paper, the brisk wind blowing his brunet locks to the side that once covered his right eye. "How could I get a D on my Trig test?" The Figueroa let out a sigh as he continued to roll down the sidewalk, an angsty cloud looming over his head. "Dude… there's no way I'll be able to explain this shit to mom and dad…"

As Nate continued to skate towards Ventura Blvd where he would need to cross the street, he spotted a blonde, middle-aged woman leaving a gift boutique with several bags in her hands heading towards a parked Land Rover by the curb. Struggling to access the inside of her purse, the blonde finally managed to pull out the shiny object into her hands.

_**CLING**_

"Oh, fiddlesticks!" she groaned as the keys escaped from her hand to the ground due to the many bags she was carrying.

"Don't worry ma'am," a male's voice responded, seemingly from a figure hidden behind a stack of boxes he was holding alongside the woman. "I'll retrieve them for you." The individual transferred the weight of all the boxes to his left hand while he let his right one free. Whirring noises began to emit as the hand suddenly extended out towards the ground via a flexible metal cable that snaked out of his wrist.

"Heh… must be a robot…" Nate said to himself. "I wish I had one…"

Ever since the turn of the century, humanoid robots became the hottest technological must-haves in society. With the ability to perform unlimited amount of tasks such as complicated engineering construction to the public safety duties to the simple personal assistant duties, these androids became immensely imperative in the growing economy.

However, there was more than just the positive limelight that these robots were facing nowadays. There have been several incidents around the world dealing with crimes committed allegedly by robots. This has even been felt locally as many robot-connected incidents have been popping up in the East Valley, specifically in the poor and industrial dominated Pacoima. Despite such news, this hasn't diminished Nate's desire for a robot to call his own.

"Allow me to open the car for you, ma'am," the mysterious individual spoke as he began to open one of the doors. The Figueroa's initial thought was confirmed when the pile of boxes were being loaded into the SUV, exposing an android with the clad of gray and yellow.

"Thank heavens I have someone like you, Rudy," the woman happily patted the robot on the back after she finished putting all of her bags into her vehicle before driving off with her helper.

"Dude… talk about being lucky… I mean, what are the odds that I'll run into some robot that no one wants?" Nate told himself as he pressed the crosswalk button on the traffic light pole. As soon as the pedestrian signal turned into the walking man symbol, the brunet ran onto the crosswalk before letting his board roll onto the ground and jumped onto it. Now skating eastbound along Ventura Blvd, Nate picked up the pace even more, determined to get home sooner so that he could plop down on his bed and sleep, making up for the three hours of sleep he only received last night.

_Man, I need to get some more sle—_

_**BEEP**_

_**BEEP**_

Right before Nate's eyes, a midsize delivery truck pulled up from the alley, nearly hitting the brunet. As though it looked like Nate nearly avoided the accident, the sudden jerk in movement he had to make caused him to run into a raised curb, tossing his frame off of the board, landing belly flat onto the hard concrete and causing the skateboard to zip into the alley.

"Hey kid, watch you're going, alright!?" An old-aged man from the truck peered out and harshly ogled towards the fallen brunet. Aside from the very thick German accent the driver had, he had a menacing facial expression, complete with two clumps of gray hair that stuck out from the side of his scalp and a thick, gray mustache. "Someday you'll run into trouble with the wrong people… hahaha!" With that, the old man drove off onto the street, nearly hitting two cars in the process.

Despite the hard landing, Nate was able to get up back up onto his two feet, straightening out his clothes in the process. Aside from the minor scrape on his left hand, the Figueroa was all right.

"What a stupid ass driver…" Nate began to search around for his missing skateboard.

"Where the hell did it go?" He began to stroll down towards the alley from where the old man came from. Contrasting from the sun kissed Ventura Blvd, the alley was dark and small with a murky stream of water in the middle, flies, and a foul odor lingering the numerous dumpsters and piles of trash and cardboard boxes on the side of the buildings.

"Dayum, it stinks up in here," Nate asserted as he covered his nose with his hand.

"Aha, there it i— uhh…" He indeed found his skateboard near a pile of trash bags. Except for one thing… someone, or rather, something was gripping the board with its red-toned, metallic hands in the shadowy corner. Nate, still frozen from the sudden sight of the hands, decided to at least try to ask for his skateboard back.

"Um… dude… uh… can I have my board back… please?" The Figueroa's voice nearly squeaked at the last word.

"Grrrr…" the figure in the shadow softly growled. In response, Nate only tilted his head sideways and narrowed his eyes before deciding to just forget about the skateboard.

"Okay then… you... can… keep it… okay?" Nate began to back away slowly out of the alley. In response, sounds of the mysterious being getting up from the dark corner began to creep into his ears.

_Oh crap… _

Nate's dark chocolate eyes widened as he continued to back out of the alley onto Ventura Blvd.

_Why is he following me out? _

Sounds of metal hitting the pavement began to saunter towards the brunet. As the figure finally came out of the shadows, Nate couldn't believe what he saw that was holding his skateboard. The blue-eyed thing was easily about half to a foot taller than Nate, compared to his 5'9" stature. It was cladded with red, black, and trims of yellow on its knees, waist, top wrists, and circular ears. In addition, a striking boomerang shaped crescent loomed on the forehead region of its helmet and armored chest cavity. A very dynamic looking figure indeed.

_It's… a freakin' robot… _

"Look man…" A sense of panic could be identified in Nate's voice as he gazed at the vicious facial expression that the robot had. The brunet's hands were raised in a defensive manner. "I said you can keep it, alright? Just don't come any closer… okay?"

Unfortunately his words fell on deaf ears as the robot continued to stalk towards the now shaking brunet.

"Hello!? Can you hear me!? I SAID… don't come any clo—" And with that, Nate ran off like hell as soon as he was back onto Ventura Blvd. He sprinted like there was no tomorrow. Striding his arms into the air while huffing and puffing the cool, yet smoggy, air that the Valley was known for. This was sure to be a workout for the usually lazy Nate, despite having a minor sports background.

"Ugh… this is… what I… get… for… quitting… track…" Nate managed to articulate in-between pants. "And… for being… so damn… lazy in… tennis…"

As Nate persisted on with his sprinting down _The Boulevard_, he gazed back to see if the robot was following him. At first glance it seemed safe so Nate decided to slow down his pace.

"Pheww… that was clo— OH CRAP!" A pair of hazelnut eyes captured a fast moving object heading down the same direction in an extraordinarily rapid pace. Immediately Nate returned back to running like hell, if not faster than before. The busyness of Ventura Blvd proved to be a hindrance for the running brunet as he had to constantly dodge around and jump over other pedestrians, animals, newspaper and food stands, bus benches, and trash bins.

"Hey, watch it kid!"

"Slow down young man!"

"Dude, chill out!"

"Watch where you're going loser!"

"Um, like, look out dude!"

_**BARK, BARK!**_

"My bad, yo!" was all that Nate was able to say in apology as he desperately tried to get away from the red and black cladded android that was still chasing him, board still in hand. "Man… he's freakin' quick!! Like a quick man of sorts…"

Before he knew it, Nate saw that he was coming up towards the intersection with White Oak Avenue.

_Yes! I'm almost home! _

However, the light for Ventura Blvd was still green and Nate couldn't afford to wait for the green on White Oak.

_Dude, I can't believe I'm gonna do this… _

With a sudden change of direction to his right, Nate was now running in the middle of the busy traffic on Ventura Blvd.

_**SCREECH**_

_**BEEP**_

_**BEEP**_

Several cars had to slammed hard onto their brakes as they saw the brunet suddenly jump onto the street. Some yelled towards Nate, while others flipped him the bird.

"My bad dudes! My bad!" Nate waved off apologetically towards the drivers as he continued to jaywalk, or rather, _jayrun_. Luckily the LAPD wasn't around to stop the Figueroa, although he sorta wished they were present so that they could stop the robot that has been chasing him for miles.

As White Oak became more heavily residential and heavily wooded with lots of old oak trees, Nate recognized the fact that he couldn't just run directly to his house so that the droid could just follow him in.

_Ugh, I need to hide somewhere just enough for him to completely pass me by. I mean… he's quick and all… but he can't be that smart of a robot… can he? _

Although inappropriate for the current dilemma he was facing, the Figueroa couldn't help but to relinquish a small chuckle at his next muse.

_Heh, I can't believe that I haven't cramped up yet in my legs. _

Hearing the sounds of cars screeching and honking, Nate knew that the robot was drawing near and that he had to do something fast. Gazing towards his right, he saw a parking lot of a private school full of parked cars.

_Maybe if I hide behind a car, he'll just keep running up the street and not even notice that I'm not there anymore since he's going too fast._

The brunet decided to go with the plan in mind. He ran into the parking lot and decided to hide behind a red Infiniti G37 coupe, seeing that he would blend in more with his red shirt on and all.

_I hope he doesn't see me here…_

As Nate made sure he was hiding well, he heard heavy and rapid footsteps from the sidewalk on White Oak. He closed his eyes and cringed his face as he heard the heavy steps pass by, sounding as if they were right next to him. After they faded away a few seconds later, Nate couldn't help but to exhale a long sigh of relief.

"Phew… that was hella close… heh..." Nate scoffed at his _NorCal _Speech moment.

Heading back on White Oak and making sure the robot was totally gone, Nate continued to walk on home towards Corinthian Drive, but not without caution and pace as he did not wanted to be seen outside anymore... as long as the robot was running around like a madman.

_The last place I wanna see it is in my room, lying on my bed…_

After a few minutes of walking, Nate finally reached his one-story ranch style home at the end of the cul-de-sac on Corinthian Dr. The front yard had very nice mature landscaping and a nice water fountain in the garden. He also saw that a blue Nissan Maxima was parked on the driveway.

_Hmmm, mom must be home early from work…_

As Nate reached the grand, oak-stained double doors in the porch, he reached inside his pockets for his keys. Unlocking and opening the door, his senses were greeted with a wafting scent of freshly made pasta and breadsticks.

_Heh… that's what I get for being half-Italian and half-Filipino… _

It's true that Nate is indeed Filipino from his father's side, and Italian from his mother's side. Although many say that it's indeed a very interesting and exotic (well, according to some of the girls that he has overheard from school) mix, Nate believes that the combination does bring indeed the best of both worlds when it came to… you've guessed it… food.

"Mom! I'm home!" Nate hollered out towards the kitchen as he took off his shoes and let his backpack drop onto the foyer's black marble floor. Soon enough, a long and brunet-haired middle-aged woman that stood at nearly the same stature as Nate with olive-skin complexion and blue eyes emerged from the kitchen.

"Hi honey!" Nate's mom, Francesca, greeted her son with a hug, followed by a European kiss on both cheeks. "How was school? You seem really tired…"

Indeed his mom was correct. After all, he had been running all the way down on Ventura until his house… being chased by some crazed droid. "Yeah… Just a bit I guess because of school…"

"Aww, my poor baby…" His mother gave him another hug, causing Nate to blush at being babied at the age of sixteen.

"Ugh, mom…" Nate tried to push her away, but to no avail. "Anyways, what brings you home so early?"

"Well, one of the other practitioners came in early and said that she would cover for me," Francesca replied. Being a nurse practitioner at Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, Nate knew that his mom normally worked long hours, sometimes especially during the late night shifts. "Why don't you take a nap before you do your homework?" Francesca finally let her son go from her tight grip. "I'm making dinner for tonight right now."

_Heh… homework… right…_

Nate released a small sigh. "I guess…" He picked up his backpack before heading off into the hallway for his room. "So dad isn't home yet?"

"No, not yet." Francesca headed back into the kitchen. Alexander, Nate's father, is a Civil Engineering Senior Designer for a small company in Thousand Oaks. "You know he too has long hours."

"And sis?" Nate inquired about his older sister, Claire, whom just graduated from nursing school in Los Angeles and is now working for Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys.

"She'll be home tonight as well."

"Ah… I see…" Nate stretched his arms into the air, releasing a big yawn in the process. He then began to walk into the hallway. "Okay mom, I'm gonna take a nap for a bit."

"Okay Nate. Don't sleep too much though." Francesca replied.

"Yeah, yeah…" Nate grumbled as he reached the end of the hall where his room was. Opening the door, he blindly tossed his backpack onto the floor as the room was dark. Knowing where his bed is, he simply closed the door behind him and proceeded to plop down onto his bed, ready to take a long and rejuvenating nap.

_**CLANK**_

"Owww!"

"What the fu—" Nate immediately jumped out of his bed. He knew that he shouldn't be landing on anything metallic on his bed… let alone another voice being in the room. He frantically reached for the light switch and flicked it on.

"What the hell…" Nate's eyes widened as he saw the familiar red, black, and yellow cladded robot casually lying on his bed… with the same skateboard still gripped to his hand.

"Heh, you thought that you could get away from me… could you?" the robot slowly drawled.

"OH… MY… G—" Nate was immediately muffled as the robot instantly came to his side, covered the brunet's mouth with its metallic red hands forcefully.

"Shhhh…" The robot quietly said, trying to get the Figueroa to shut up. "Before you scream out in fear, let me at least introduce myself…" A smirk was now seen at the corner of the droid's mouth. "My name… is the one and only... Quick Man…"

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_**So you think something's bad gonna happen to Nate? Eh, probably not, hahaha… but you'll find out in the next chapter. **_

_Don't forget to review please ;-)_


	2. Not Safe at Home Either?

**Quick Author's Note: **Watzup everyone! I'd like to thank all of you for taking the time for reading the first chapter of my story. It means a whole lot to me and encourages me to keep going with your reviews and suggestions. I'd like to give many thanks to **Dracozombie, SpartanCommander, Zohaku, mungojerry, MimiB.Real, **and** Kink Cycko **for your reviews. Although some of your reviews did make me scratch my head a bit, I did take it all into consideration while typing out this chapter. So once again, THANK YOU!!

In addition, I'd also like to make a note that the language may become a bit stronger in context, so please be aware! But I'll do my best to keep it reasonably clean... although people do have different reactions...

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_I'd also like to make a note that this story is an _**_Alternate Universe and _****_NOT CANON_**_. However, I will do my best to not to change the original formula too much, but some manipulation will be necessary… you know, kind of like complicated Integrals… yuck…_

_Anyways, I'd like to present you all with Chapter 2! Sorry it took so long to make, but I had finals for Statistics last week for summer school and I had a busy Labor Day weekend. I will try for a Friday update if possible, so keep your fingers crossed. _

_**ENJOY!!**_

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Nate couldn't believe at the hell of a predicament that he trapped himself into. Just moments earlier, he was just skateboarding home, minding his own damn business until some old geezer nearly crushed Nate on Ventura Blvd, along with his skateboard going into some dark and creepy alley. Thinking things couldn't get any worse, a crazed and abandoned robot gripped his board tightly into its hand, growling at the trespasser of his personal space. In response, Nate ran for his life while the droid followed for countless blocks. Hiding behind a car and letting the robot pass him by, Nate finally was safe to go home, a sanctuary from the cruel outside world. Just wanting to rest on his bed after a long day, he horridly finds the robot on his bed as if he was expecting the brunet.

Now being roughly held up against the wall in his own room with red metallic hands firmly pressed on his mouth, Nate was indeed in a world of unpleasantness. A fearful pair of hazelnut eyes gawked upon the intimidating facial expression of the robot that called himself Quick Man.

_How the hell am I supposed to get out of his death grip? Jesus, this Quick Man is hella strong! _

Desperately wanting to be released from the droid's clutches, the Figueroa tried to fight his way out of Quick Man's hold. It was futile as said robot's grip became tighter and lifted the teenager up off the floor, causing Nate to cringe and scream out in pain.

"Ugh, what the hell do you want from me Quick Man?" Nate muffled through the android's red hands.

Quick Man's evil smirk just only became a lot more pronounced as the teen's posed question went through his ears. "Hmmm, you know what… I really don't know actually what I want from you…"

The response caused Nate's facial expression to go from pain to just plain clueless-ness.

"Huh? What do you mean yo— AHHH!" The brunet's own reply came to an abrupt halt as Quick Man's hand quickly moved from covering his mouth to his neck, causing Nate to gag with his air passage now cut off.

"Shut the hell up! If I want your goddamn opinion, I'll beat it out of you if I have to!" Quick Man tightened his grip onto the brunet's neck a lot more. The strangling became so bad that a small amount of tears were starting to secrete from Nate's eyes, along with a shade of blue coloring his face.

_Oh jeez… I've got… to get… out of this… grip… before I… pass out... _Nate tried to muse while being throttled to death by Quick Man below. _But how… can I… when he's… too fast… and nothing… of use… is near by._

But before the Figueroa was able to complete his thoughts any further, the sound of a shiny metal being sharpened crept into his ears. He gazed below, only to see a shiny, yellow, boomerang-shaped object in the left hand of Quick Man.

"Dude… what… is that?" Nate managed to croak out, despite being strangled.

Quick Man looked at the object in his left hand for a bit before facing back to the brunet above him. "Oh this? Well this is my Quick Boomerang of course. Allow me to demonstrate…"

The red and yellow cladded robot threw the boomerang towards the opposite side of the room. A distinctive swishing sound emitted from the tossed object as it hurled towards the stainless steel floor lamp that Nate's sister, Claire, gave him one day. In what seemed like a millisecond, the lamp instantly broke in half onto the hardwood floor below. Nate widened his eyes in amazement and terror at what he just witnessed. Adding to the astonishing demo was the Quick Boomerang being right back into Quick Man's hand

_Wow… that boomerang must be majorly sharp!!_

"Now then… dude…" Quick Man started to direct the boomerang in his hand towards the brunet's throat region, causing a whimper to escape from Nate's mouth. "I'm afraid I in-fact _do_ remember what I want from you…" The robot drawled as his eyes began to squint with an evil smile beginning to glare from his face. For Nate, this could only smell one thing for him… trouble.

"For you… TO D—"

_**KNOCK**_

_**KNOCK**_

"Nate? Is everything okay in there?" Francesca knocked from the other side of the door. Not a moment too soon, Nate was released from the throttling that he was stuck in for quite sometime. He coughed and gagged for several moments, saliva being sprayed onto the floor, as his face returned to the normal shade of color. He desperately inhaled the fresh air he was deprived from. When he finally was able to stand back up, Nate looked around his room to look for the insane robot that tried to take his life away. Unfortunately he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did he—"

"Luck may have danced with you this time… Nate…" Quick Man stood at the window's ledge while droning, especially at the brunet's name. "But don't you forget… I _know _where you live… and I _know _all about you just by analysis…" The red and yellow cladded robot began to chuckle. "Remember, I'm gonna be on you at all times… even when you don't notice… Until then, adieu…" And just like that, the android disappeared in a flash. Nate ran over to the window and looked all over the backyard to see where the robot ran off. Aside from the shimmering sparkling pool and water fountain in the backyard, not a single trace of the droid was to be seen.

_Luck? I believe more in the astute mastery of probability versus luck... _

"Nate!" His mom knocked even louder. "Son, are you okay? Open the door!"

Said boy walked over to the door and opened it, sporting on a tired look to make it seem as if he had just woken up from his nap.

"Son, is everything alright?" Francesca had a very motherly concerned facial expression. "I heard a loud noise and I thought I heard another voice in the room."

_Oh no… she might have heard Quick Man… but should I really tell mom? She might think I'm nuts..._

"Oh no, it's okay mom, really. I accidentally stumbled onto the lamp and it must've broke, hence me getting all angry about it," Nate did his best to sound very convincing, obviously not wanting to tell his mom about his near-death experience with a crazed, faster-than-life robot. Without any good evidence to prove what just happened, she'll just think her son has gone mad.

"Are you sure about that?" Francesca raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, it's alright now…" Nate assured his mom. Picking up his backpack, he walked out of his room and past his mom, whom still sported a quizzical look on her face. "I'll just start on my homework now in the family room."

As he sauntered his way towards the family room, Nate wiped the excessive sweat off of his forehead, taking in a deep breath and exasperatedly sighed in the process.

_What the hell am I supposed to do know with some robot named Quick Man on my back now? I really, really hope he was just kidding about the whole being on me at all times thing… _

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Nate was quietly trying to finish up his homework on the leather sofa in the comfort of the open and spacious family room. Despite being the entertainment center of the household for the family and guest, the room had several soft touches of color on the walls (in addition to the family portrait on the wall), furniture, and décor that made it to be a pleasant place to relax after a long day of hard work… or being chased by a quick-ass robot as well.

Struggling to get through his Honors Trigonometry homework, Nate tapped the mechanical pencil in his hand incessantly against the page.

"For what values of x is the identity cot(x) cos(x) / sin(x) NOT valid?" Nate read the problem from his textbook. "Hmmmm… what values are not valid for—"

"Hey loser!"

Nate briskly jumped at the sudden voice that tiptoed into his ears. He turned around and saw a brunette haired woman in her early twenties, dressed in a nurses' scrub, whom was slightly taller than Nate.

"Oh, hey sis…" Nate greeted his elder sibling, Claire, with a grumble as he tried to get his train of thought onto Trig, which was something that's been very difficult for him. It became nearly impossible as Claire turned on the TV with the volume on full blast as she crashed into the loveseat adjacent to where Nate was. "Do you mind?"

"Man, shut up lil' bro…" Claire scoffed as she continued to channel surf on the plasma TV hung over the fireplace mantle.

"Ugh… whatever…" The younger Figueroa flatly remarked as he continued to jot down calculations. Further interrupting his homework was the sound of the front door being opened and slammed shut.

"I'm home everyone!"

"Hey dad…" The Figueroa children flatly said.

"Hi honey!" Francesca came to the foyer and gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek. "How's the big project going?"

"Stressful as always…" Alexander replied. He took a waft of air that came from the kitchen. "Yum! It smells good… what did you make?"

"Lasagna, fettuccine alfredo, calamari, and breadsticks."

"Really?" Nate had a smile on his face as he raced towards the dining room. "Yo, I'm ready to eat right now!"

"You read my mind lil' bro," Claire followed her brother promptly.

The two parents watched as their children quickly rushed to the dining room table and began to attack the freshly made meal.

"Ugh, our kids these days…" Francesca sighed as she watched her meal being devoured in a hurry.

"Oh, come on honey," Alexander hugged his wife on the side. "It's because your cooking is wonderful. After all, you do work a lot and it's not the same when it's been in the fridge for a few days…"

"I guess you're right Alex…" Francesca replied before the parents joined their kids at the dinner table.

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After having a wonderfully cooked dinner for quite awhile, Nate was finishing up the last of his horrendous trig homework that's been drilling a hole in his skull for the entire evening.

"And because of cos 65, x should be 0.44… I hope…" Nate wrote down before slamming his book shut. "Finally… Jesus Christ…" He would've thrown the book across the room, but then the beautiful vase that Francesca bought from Chinatown might've shattered, just like when Quick M—

"Shit… I almost forgot about him…" Nate pondered as he began to channel surf. The encounter with Quick Man he had earlier was still fresh in his mind.

_"Remember, I'm gonna be on you at all times… even when you don't notice…"_

"Like he's really gonna have time for that… I mean, that's like stalker status… right?" Nate asked as if someone else was in the room with him.

_"Live from ABC7: Marc Brown, Michelle Tuzee, Dallas Raines with weather, and Rob Fukuzaki with sports. Now, Southern California's only High Definition News: Eyewitness News at 11." _

"Meh, I guess I'll watch the news then… it's been awhile anyways."

_"More robot-connected crimes springing up in the Eastern San Fernando Valley. Is there a possible link behind these crimes? Good evening, I'm Marc Brown."_

_"And I'm Michelle Tuzee. Here's the latest at 11…" _

Nate immediately sat up from his slouching position on the couch and turned up the volume, apparently wanting to pay attention… which was quite a rarity at times.

_"The Los Angeles Police Department has just announced today of several new, possibly robot-related, crimes taking place centering around the city of San Fernando and the LA neighborhoods of Pacoima, Sylmar, and Sun Valley in the Eastern San Fernando Valley."_

"Well, that is the ghettoest part of the Valley…" Nate scoffed.

_"Police have stated that many of the industrial buildings being broken into have computer motherboards and parts being manufactured along the San Fernando Road and Laurel Canyon corridors. There has been speculation that a person is possibly behind all of this, but with no tangible evidence, such can't be officially made, according to the Chief of Police. LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pleaded to all citizens in the area to remain in their homes at nightfall and to report any suspicious activity to the LAPD." _

The thought of Quick Man immediately crossed into Nate's mind. However, he persistently doubted to himself that his encounter has nothing to do with the recent incidents.

"But I don't live anywhere near those neighborhoods… No way this can be related to such…"

_"In other news, Doctor Thomas Light, a professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics today for his creation of human-like androids dating from several years ago. Light, seen here with two of his created robots, Rock and Roll, says that he hopes that robots will become more advance and a valuable asset in our future world." _

"Hmmm… Dr. Thomas Light of UCLA, eh?" Nate pondered as he looked at the scientifically dressed man who looked to be in his sixties or seventies, complete with white-toned hair and a white beard.

As he finished his oral musing, the brunet let out a tiresome yawn as he stretched out his body.

"I guess I'll just go to sleep now…" And with that, Nate reached for the remote on the table.

_**TAP**_

_**TAP**_

_**TAP**_

Nate immediately jumped at the unexpected intrusion of noise coming from the glass window facing the front yard, causing the remote in his hand to drop onto the floor.

"What was that!?" He gawked at the window, looking a possible sighting of a person… or perhaps a thing. Of course, the first deduction that came up to mind was none other than the robot that he had a rough meeting with earlier.

"Quick Man…" Nate whispered, now approaching the window cautiously as he tiptoed. His heart began to race uncontrollably as sweat started to secrete out of his pores.

"Please, please, please, please let it be my imagination… my imagination… my imagination… that's all it is…" As he reached the window, he slowly gazed outside the window, glancing left and right out onto Corinthian Drive. Aside from the neighbor across the street getting out of their car after an apparently elegant night out, to whom he waved hello to, not a single thing was seen within the immediate vicinity. "Phew... it was noth—"

"Miss me, Nate?" The familiar red and yellow cladded robot immediately popped out of the bushes in front of the window, a devious smirk on his face.

"AHHHH! Quick Man!" Nate panicked and immediately sprinted out of the family room. Fear was all now that he could think of. His heart pounded even faster than before as he huffed and puffed down the hall towards his room. However, before he turned the doorknob, Nate froze into place and had a second thought.

"Holy fu-- I forgot to lock the window in my room from earlier! Stupid me!" Nate shook his head for his stupidity. "He's probably waiting for me in there…" Hysteria began to grow exponentially in his head, not having a single idea on what to do. Looking around desperately, Nate ran to the nearest door in the hallway and began to knock frantically.

"Hey sis! Open up!"

A few long and agonizing moments later, Claire finally opened the door. "What do you want loser?"

_How the hell am I supposed to explain this shit… ugh, can't believe I'm gonna say this, but…_

"Uh… can I sleep in your room tonight? On your futon?" Nate felt extremely awkward and embarrassed for letting such a phrase come out of his mouth, but due to the situation, he was utterly desperate.

"Pssshhhhh, the hell with that…" Claire began to close the door, but Nate resisted.

"Please sis? Come on! There's um… there's um… an extremely nasty-ass spider in my room I saw…" Nate cringed as he mentally shook his head for that.

"Um… lemme think about it…" Claire began to put her hand under her chin in a pondering motion. "Um…. Noooo…"

"Ugh, c'mon sis!" Nate pleaded once again. "Please?!"

"Ugh, okay, okay! Fine then!" Claire moved out of the way to let her little brother inside her room. "Just don't be bugging me, I'm hella tired from work today."

"Yeah, yeah…" Nate began to lie onto the futon that was next to his sister's desk. Claire tossed him a blanket and pillows she got from her walk-in closet.

"Ugh, night fool…" Claire turned off the lamp as she immediately fell back asleep onto her queen-sized bed.

"Uh... night sis…" Nate softly replied as he got himself comfortable onto the hard-as-hell futon. Feeling surprisingly safe now in out all places, his sister's room, the brunet was able to finally drift comfortably off to sleep after having a long, tiring day.

"Hehehehe…"

Nate immediately sat up as he heard a very familiar voice. Looking at the direction of his sister's window, he saw a silhouetted figure off in the distance on the roof, complete with a striking boomerang shaped crescent shining on it's head under the moonlit sky.

"Ah dude… this is gonna be a long night…" Nate began to slowly sink into the blankets.

Claire grabbed a pillow and threw it towards her brother across the room. "Shut... up…"

"My bad..."

--

* * *

_**Please don't forget to review! It means so much if you take a few moments to do that. Please be specific if you have any suggestions for changes and so on, such as citing a particular part of the chapter, etc. And no critical flames!! Thanks again for reading!!**_

_Also, if there are any readers out there from the San Fernando Valley, do you have any great hangouts you can suggest around the area? Thanks!!_

_And yes... I do watch ABC7 when I do happen to watch the news... _


	3. Just Another Day at School?

_**Before I go further on, I would like to say that my heart truly goes out to all those affected by the horrific Union Pacific - Metrolink Train Accident that occurred yesterday afternoon in Chatsworth (which is in the San Fernando Valley, where this story takes place). **_

--

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Once again I'd like to thank all of those who took the time to review the previous chapter. Once again, I have taken the reviews into consideration and try to incorporate them into future chapters. Please note that although there maybe some unanswered questions in the story, be assured that it will be answered sometime later on as I don't want to give away any parts of the story. However you are more than free to post a question if you have any confusion of sorts and I'll try to answer them as best as I can.

Originally this was supposed to be one long chapter, but I have decided to split it into two so that I can write with more quality instead of rushing the story. Sorry if this chapter is a bit slow, but I promise things will pick up in the next chapter. Once again, I appreciate everyone who continues to read the story and please review. It's the only way to get this story to continue.

--

* * *

_C'mon Nate, just go back to sleep… go back to sleep… _

Nate gazed up at the dark ceiling over him while laying on his sister's harder-than-life futon. Most of his night consisted of on and off sleeping due to the everlasting image he witnessed outside the window before attempting to sleep the night before.

_Ugh, I need to get at least one more hour of sleep…_

The brunet glanced over at Claire's bed. Of course, she was soundly asleep.

_Pssshhhh… must be hecka nice to get a full night's of sleep…_

He then glanced over towards the nightstand where a red illuminated alarm clock rested.

"Oh my God, it's 5:00 already?" Nate said softly. He then turned his head towards the window. The sky was still as black as night.

"Jeez, I must've only had like what? Three hours of sleep from all the tossing and turning?" A pout began to hover over his face. "Stupid Quick Man…"

Deciding that it was futile going back to sleep, Nate silently got up from the futon. He straightened out his clothes that he still wore from yesterday before heading out the door. He slowly opened it before stepping out into the hallway. As he closed door behind him in the same manner, his hazelnut eyes captured a beam of fluorescent white down the hall, evidently coming from the kitchen.

"Mom must be up already…" Nate meandered towards the florescent light down the hall until he reached the kitchen. There he spotted his mom, dressed in her nurse's scrubs for work.

"Buon giorno, sweetie!" Francesca smiled like a ray of sunshine to her still sleepy, bed-headed son.

"Uh… Buenos días to you too, mom…" Nate replied as he let out a big yawn, taking a seat at a nearby stool at the breakfast bar.

"Hmm, deciding to start off the day with some Español, aren't we?" Francesca continued to pack up her lunch. "Why are you up so early?"

Once again, the brunet on the stool unleashed a huge yawn as he stretched his arms into the air. "I couldn't sleep, really…" Nate rubbed his eyes as he tried to wake up. "Dad left for work already?"

"He sure did, like maybe fifteen minutes ago. You know your dad and getting to work early…" Francesca finished packing up her lunch before having a quick gaze at the Microwave clock. "It's only 5:10 and I have to leave around 5:40. Do you want me to make you some pancakes, fette biscottate, and caffè e latte?"

Nate immediately grinned and licked his lips as he heard those wonderful words stream through his ears. "Yuuummmm, thanks mom."

Francesca smiled and immediately got to work as she began to prepare breakfast for Nate (and as well for Claire whenever she got out of bed). As she was cooking, once again, she decided to have a conversation with her son, whom was about to fall asleep onto the granite counter of the breakfast bar.

"Alright son, why the lack of sleep?"

"Well I already told you that it was so hard for me to sleep."

"And why was that?"

"Because of Qu—" Nate abruptly stopped his response as he suddenly realized as what he was going to say.

_Do I really wanna tell mom about Quick Man? I mean, I highly doubt she'll believe me and will probably think I'm crazy… not that she already thinks I'm crazy, heh… But then again, she could believe me and get the LAPD on this case… but then I'll feel stupid if that Quick Man never show up and then they'll think I'm just crying wolf… or something like that… _

"What was that, Nate?" Francesca began to fill the plate with her son's breakfast items.

"Oh, um, I said because… because…" Nate began to look around the area to help him come up with an excuse.

_Aha… my Trig book…_

"Because there's this big Trig test coming up before winter break and I can't get my mind off of it."

_Bravo Nate! What a save… _

"Oh Nate…" Francesca brought over the filled plate along with the caffè e latte. Nate happily began to woof it down his mouth. "All your father and I ask for is that you do your best and to study hard. No need to have a nervous breakdown over that."

_Heh, study… right…_

Nate sighed after he swallowed a helping hand of pancakes. "I guess you're right…"

_Although that's not really the thing to have a nervous breakdown with since you have a thing named Quick Man following you like white on rice… oh dude, that was such a terrible pun…_

After Francesca finished washing all of the dishes, she grabbed her lunch bag and purse before heading towards Nate.

"Okay, bye sweetie," she said as she placed a quick kiss on Nate's cheek.

"Bye mom," Nate replied back.

"And your sister is taking you to school too, right?"

"Yeah, but mom…" Nate hollered out before Francesca could twist the knob on the front door.

"What is it?"

"How come Claire always has to take me to school? I mean, I already have my driver's license… so why can't I get a car of my own?"

Francesca let out a small sigh, knowing that she had already been through this conversation more than once. "Nate, we can't just give you a brand new car on the spot."

"But why not?" A whiny tone of voice can be heard from the brunet. "It's not like you guys have to buy me a new Infiniti or Lexus or Audi or some other expensive luxury car like what you guys bought for Claire…" Nate referred to the fully loaded white Lexus GS 460 that his parents got for Claire a couple years back. "Besides, my birthday is coming up in a few days... you know…"

"Oh, Nate… Nate, Nate, Nate…" Francesca nodded her head side to side as she let out a chortle. "You're only going to turn seventeen, and don't you worry, we have a nice surprise in store for you son… just don't expect it to deal with a car though…"

"Eh, whatever…" Nate returned to finishing up his breakfast.

"Okay, I'll be back tonight then. Bye honey…" Francesca waved off as she opened and closed the front door.

Nate just finished his breakfast as he heard his mom's Nissan Maxima start up and pull away from the driveway. He proceeded to take his dishes to the sink before deciding on what to do next.

"Hmmm… it's almost 6:00…" Nate gazed over at the clock in the family room. "I probably should just get ready for school now." He continued to walk down the hallway towards his room. However, once again, he froze into place just as he was about to twist the knob.

_Wait a sec… I totally forgot the reason on why I didn't sleep in there last night… _The Figueroa took in a deep breath as he said the familiar name out loud.

"Quick Man…"

Letting the grip go from the knob, Nate let his arms drop down to the side. Now just standing aimlessly in the hallway, he evaluated the clothing that he currently had on.

_I can't go to school looking like this. All wrinkly and junk… _

His hazelnut eyes drilled through the door of his room, seemingly as if he had x-ray vision capabilities.

_Well, I just can't keep out of my room forever… nor can I just keep asking Claire to sleep in her room every freakin' night… I'll have to go in there sometime later… _

Nate exasperatedly sighed as he gripped on the door handle once again.

_Okay… here I go…_

And with that, Nate turned the knob and hurriedly opened the door hard, letting it slam against the wall. Thankfully for him, the morning sun had just came up and a fair amount of light shone into the room as he gazed towards the window. However, there was a one problem…

"The window is closed…" He murmured as his eyes inspected the room. Overall, it was pretty much left in the same, messy condition it was previously, including the broken floor lamp still on the floor courtesy of a particular red, black, and yellow cladded robot.

_Okay, I should step in very cautiously… _

Nate followed through with his musing. He took footsteps little by little until his whole frame was within the room's limits. He once again surveyed the area just to be sure that he wouldn't be inside of another trap setup by Quick Man.

"Looks clear to me, but…" Nate's vision became fixated on the door that led into the walk-in closet where his clothes awaited. "Oh dude, please don't be in there… just don't be in there…" was all that he kept repeating as he walked towards the closet, his heart racing while perspiration began to form on his forehead.

_Damn, does it have to be all this dramatic just to go inside the closet? _

For Nate, apparently it was…

_Okay, just please don't be in there… And why do I keep on sweating so much in stuff like this… _

Once again, the brunet had the task to open yet another door that could have the potential sighting of the one and only Quick Man.

"Here we go…" Nate quickly opened the door and quickly got into some martial art stance.

"Hi-yah!" He cried out, seemingly ready to kick some ass. Other than shirts hanging on the racks and a dresser in the back of the closet, there was nothing to fight against.

"Oh thank God…" Nate sighed in relief as he began to gather his clothes, a pair of boxers, and socks for the day. Right after, he grabbed his bath towel and headed out of the room. He decided to leave the door of his room open so that he wouldn't have to be greeted by a surprise behind the door.

"Maybe this day will be awesome after all…" Nate smiled before stepping into the bathroom next to his room.

However, Nate failed to notice the piece of paper that rested on his desk that he passed by.

"_Quick Man wuz here._"

--

* * *

Nate slowly stepped out of Claire's ever-so luxurious Lexus as she dropped him in front of Reseda High School on Kittridge Street.

"You're walking home today, right loser?" Claire said as she adjusted the volume of her radio.

"Yeah, yeah..." Nate said as he grabbed his backpack from the back seat.

"You better fool, because I'm not gonna be home this afternoon…" Claire put the car into drive as Nate closed the door. She soon hurriedly sped off without saying bye... as usual.

"Whatever…" Nate scoffed as he strapped his backpack on his shoulders and inputted the ear buds of his iPod into his ears. He then gazed around at the environment that he was now engulfed in.

_Just another day at school I guess… _

Students were gathered all over the front entrance area of the school. Many were either just engaging in a conversation with their friends, waiting for other friends to arrive, skateboarding on benches, gossiping, doing each other's hair and make-up, or just chilling. Yup, a sign of the hustle and bustle of school life is indeed alive in the morning.

"Yo Nate!" Nate turned around to see a skinny, fair skinned, spiky and dirty-blond haired teenager, who was slightly taller than Nate, walking towards him. The blond sported on a white Quicksilver shirt, baggy cargo shorts, and a pair of black DVS shoes.

"Hey, watzup… Cameron…" Nate slapped hands with his best friend, Cameron De La Loire, complete with a tiresome yawn.

"Dude, I tried calling you all day yesterday. What happened?" Cameron replied as he tried to eat a croissant— yeah, talk about a typical French dude— that he apparently bought on the way to school.

_Oh shit, I forgot about my phone!_

Nate promptly took off his backpack and opened the lower compartment. Digging inside all of the writing utensils and coloring pencils and papers, he finally pulled out his blue Sidekick. He looked into the screen and confirmed that indeed his best friend had been trying to call him yesterday.

"Wow, ten missed calls from you…" The brunet blandly said. "So what was up?"

"Well I wanted to see if—"

"Hey guys! What's going on?" A girl's voice interrupted Cameron's as he and Nate turned around.

"Oh, hey Judy!" Nate greeted the slightly shorter Asian girl in front of them who sported on a tight yellow Roxy shirt, a denim skirt, and some white flip-flops. It was none other than Nate and Cameron's other best friend, Judy Wu.

"Yeah, 'sup Wu…" Cameron flatly uttered before continuing. "Anyways… like I said, yesterday I was wondering if you wanted to go to this new and hip boba café that just opened up yesterday in North Hollywood."

"Yeah, Cameron and I wanted to go, but we didn't know where you were yesterday and didn't want to ditch you or anything like that," Judy added in while attempting to put on her lip-gloss.

"Wait a minute," Nate put his hands up as to _stop everything _or _hold the phones _sort of notion. "Just because this place is all the way in trendy NoHo, in the eastern part of the Valley, it's… _hip_?" he said as he quoted the word _hip_ with his fingers.

"Pshhhh, you damn right." The blond preceded to hand Nate the colorful flyer of the new boba café grand opening.

"Hmmm, how original…" Nate sardonically replied with a smug smile. "Boba NoHo: 5158 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood. Free side order with flyer."

"Yeah, and they have open mic nights and karaoke and other fun stuff," Cameron seemed really desperate just to go out someplace this week. "So let's all go out early tonight."

Nate sighed, knowing it's already two to one against him. "Yeah, okay I'm down to go. I ain't got no plans tonight anyways… however, there's one problem…"

"What's that?" Judy questioned.

_**RIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGGG**_

"How are we supposed to get to NoHo?" Nate stated as the three of them began to walk to their first period class… the ever-dreaded Honors Trigonometry. "I have my license but don't have a car, Cameron still only has his learner's permit, and Judy can't drive until she's eighteen… at least what you told us, Judes."

"Nah, it's still true…" Judy replied. "You know my parents…"

"We can take the Orange Line that the MTA runs," Cameron suggested. "We'll just hop on the bus at the Reseda Station and the line ends in NoHo by Lankershim and Magnolia. Cool huh?"

Nate seemed hesitant, as he hardly ever used public transportation since he was typically driven everywhere or just walked himself. But since his parents wouldn't be home until late and doesn't have a clue on when Claire would be back home… well… "Okay, I guess we'll take the Orange Line."

"Sweet!" Cameron seemed happy. "And let's wear something trendy, yeah?"

"Why? 'Cause NoHo is the trendy part of the Valley?" Judy snickered.

"Well yeah, I mean it's not like Melrose, but hey, it's close…" Cameron stated as they finally reached their class, taking their usual seats side-by-side of each other so that it would be easier for them to pass notes or whisper in class.

"I guess…" Nate replied as he pulled out his notebook and homework. "Looks like NoHo tonight then…"

"Sweet…" Cameron pulled out his own notebook and homework… which was sadly blank. "Uh Nate, Judy… can I see your guy's Trig homework?"

--

* * *

"Okay class, let's go over last night's homework…" Sarah Hooper, the Honors Trig teacher said as she pulled out the teacher's guide of the textbook, complete with answers.

_Oh man, I hate this part of the class! She always calls on me with the problems I didn't do, let alone make me look like a dork in front of the class. _

Nate gazed down at his scribbled assignment that he did the night before. Not only were some of the problems blank, but also a particular name was constantly etched on the margins of the paper.

_Dude, why did I write "Quick Man" so many times… Ugh, anyways I don't wanna be in here…_

"Okay, now for question number one—"

"Uh… Miss Hooper?" Nate raised his hand as he tried to sport on a flushed facial expression.

"Yes, Mr. Figueroa?"

"Can I go to the bathroom?"

Miss Hooper looked at her student with much concern. "Oh dear, Nate, are you feeling okay?"

"Sort of… but would it be okay if I could just refresh myself in the bathroom?" Nate tried to keep his _I'm so sick _look up.

"Yeah, go ahead Nate," Miss Hooper gave the okay to go. "Cameron, why don't you go with him to the bathroom as well to make sure he's okay."

"Sure thing Miss H…" Cameron replied as he and Nate walked out of the class with the hall pass board, while earning a scowl from Judy. As soon as they were far away from the class, the two boys broke out in a fit of laughter, but toned down due to the fear of other teachers hearing them.

"Dude, how many times is she gonna fall for that?" Nate snickered as he rested an arm on Cameron's shoulder.

"I don't know dude, but man I'm so glad she always picks me to go with you," the blond replied back. "I mean, I had nothing on my homework…"

The pair decided to try to waste as much time as possible, or at least wait out the oral grading part of the class. When Cameron said that he really actually had to use the restroom, the two decided to go to the men's restroom that was clear cut across campus near the P.E. area in a very casual pace of course. Other than being far away from their Trig class, the restroom was by far the cleanest one on campus next to the staff's.

"I'll wait for you out here dude," Nate said as he leaned against the brick wall next to the water fountain.

"Okay. I'll try not to take forever in a day," Cameron uttered as he walked into the facility.

While waiting for his friend, Nate once again yawned like crazy. Indeed the effect of little sleep was now starting to creep into his system.

"Oh my God… I'm… so… tired…" And with that, Nate briefly fell asleep against the wall.

_**ZOOM **_

The Figueroa immediately opened his eyes as a very strange, yet oddly familiar zooming noise came into his ears.

"Who, or what, was that…" He started to inspect his surroundings. Aside from the piece of paper that still lay on the asphalt, there was not another human being site.

"Heh, must be my imagi—"

_**TAP**_

_**TAP**_

Nate immediately turned to his left, hoping to find that Cameron was the one trying to scare him.

"Uh… Cameron…?" Nate called out, his voice echoing through the empty area. "Cameron?"

_**TAP**_

_**TAP**_

Nate turned to his right. Again not a single soul in sight.

"Dude, I must be trippin' from no sleep…" Nate chortled, reassuring himself it was all his imagination.

"Naaaatttteeee…" Said boy jumped at the sudden, yet sinister whisper of his name. His eyes widened, desperately looking around for anybody in site.

"Yo Cameron… this ain't funny anymore dude!"

"Naaaaaaaattttttttteeeeeee…" The whisper became stronger and eerier.

Seeing that nobody was within his vicinity and Cameron possibly still in the restroom, Nate decided there was only one thing to do… BOOK IT!

"Uh, laters…" As Nate began to flee the area, he picked up a familiar quote in his hearing.

"Miss me, Nate?"

And with that, Nate instantly froze into place. A horrid look of fear drenched over his face as he instantly recognized the quote from the night before. "Oh hell… please don't let it be…"

_**TAP**_

_**TAP**_

Nate cringed as he felt the strong, yet metallic-like tap on his right should. Like the idiot he was, he decided to turn around.

"Please don't let it be him… please don't let it be him… please don't let it—"

"Watzup Nate…" A very familiar black, red, and yellow cladded android greeted the frightened Figueroa.

"Crap… it's him…"

--

* * *

_Disclaimer: No, I did not attend Reseda High School so any mentioning of staff or areas of the school are fictionalized. However, I am very familiar with the San Fernando Valley (although I'm sure there is no Boba NoHo… that I'm aware of… hahaha...) _


	4. Déjà Vu to NoHo

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I deeply, deeply apologize for this chapter being uploaded so amazingly late. Life has been way too busy so far as the Fall Quarter has just started at UCR. With that, I'll be swamped with school and fraternity stuff, so I will pretty much warn everyone that updates maybe sparse and may take awhile to be uploaded, but don't worry, I will not forget this story and all you reader's out there. I will try to write each chapter bit by but now whenever I can accommodate the free time so don't think I've fallen off the Earth or something, hehehe. Also I've noticed the number of reviews has dropped. Come on you guys! Keep the encouragement going by leaving a quick review and of course I welcome all suggestions if you feel that something needs to be added or change and so on, so please don't be afraid to leave a review. Last but not least, I would like to thank those who've reviewed the last chapter!!

--

* * *

_Is it just me… or am I just some sort of magnet when it comes to attracting really random robots? Ugh, that's just my life…_

Nate continued to slowly walk backwards, hands up in a defensive manner as the black, yellow, and red cladded robot sauntered towards him. A very smug yet devious smirk can be seen on the droid's face, eyes hungry for the human walking in front of him.

"Dude…" Nate's voice almost squeaked as he continued to trudge backwards. "What do you want from me? Seriously!"

Quick Man abruptly stopped into place as the teenager finished his question, a hearty laughter growling from his throat. "Heh, _'what do you want from me?'_" He mocked the brunet. "Hmmmm…" The droid rubbed his chin in a pondering like fashion. "Interesting question you brought up there, kid…"

_"Kid"? Who does this robot think he his…_

Nate despised it when someone would call him a _kid_. He was going to turn 17 in a couple of days for God's sakes.

"Look man, I don't know why you're so freakin' obsessed with following me. I mean, it's flattering and all… I guess…" The brunet mentally smacked himself for that comment as he rolled his eyes. "But serious— OOMPH" Nate suddenly realized that he had hit a dead end.

_Oh, great…_

"Hehehe…" Quick Man devilishly chuckled as his eyes ogled onto horror-stricken teenager. "Looks like I've caught you in a jam, as you humans would say."

The robot was right. Nate looked to his left and right, imperatively trying to see if there were any possible ways of an exit of this mess. Sadly, more walls just greeted him. Yup, he was definitely cornered like no other. It was déjà vu all over again.

"Uh, okay, look here, Quick Man?" The Figueroa expressed awkwardly, trying to hide the fear of his voice down his throat. "I honestly don't get what on Earth you would want with me. We tried to go through this last time. I mean I'm just a normal teenager trying to go through life. Nothing more, nothing less." Nate noticed that Quick Man was actually taking an interest on what the brunet had to say.

_Great… maybe I could try to talk some sense into him… and run when I get the chance. Dammit Cameron, what the hell is taking you forever in a day? _

"And well, I'm sorry about the incident in the alley that might've sparked this little grudge you have against me, but I really have nothing to offer you of value."

"Oh, really?" The droid's voice suddenly became higher in tone.

"Yeah really… and... uh… well…" Nate began to fumble through his words. What the hell was he going to say now? Surely he couldn't just end the conversation right then and there and ask the robot if he could just go back to class. Just before it looked like he hit the end of the road, a sudden idea popped into his mind.

_I hope this works…_

"Say… why are you called Quick Man anyways?" Nate began to narrow his eyes, beaming off a countenance of wonder and question. He mentally patted himself when said robot gave off a huff. "Heh, you didn't seem so quick when you chased my ass down Ventura Blvd yesterday…" Although he did have to admit that he legs were quite painfully sore when he tried to sleep during the night.

"That's because I wasn't running at my full potential you nimrod…" Quick Man gave off an aura of pride in his speech.

_Man, talk about a dickhead of a robot…_

"Oh yeah?" Nate relished off a smirk as he looked towards a chain link fence that seemed like a long ways from here. "I bet anything you couldn't run to that fence, go around the grassy field, and come back here within ten seconds or less."

_Hehehe, I hope he's an idiot to fall for this. _

Naturally, and expectedly, Quick Man scoffed at the given challenge. "I could so. Just _watch_ me…" The droid gave off a complacent smile and immediately took off before the brunet could blink.

"Heh… sucker…" Nate snickered as he hastily tried to make a run to the bathroom so that Quick Man couldn't get him in there so as long as his best friend was around.

_Hmm… I wonder why he doesn't attack me when some other person is—_

"Wait a minute…" Quick Man immediately appeared in front Nate right before his eyes.

"What the— How did you— I mean—" Nate stammered, obviously didn't expect the robot to realize that he was being played like a fool.

"Like I said…" Quick Man quickly grabbed the brunet's neck in a hurry, lifting him up into the air as he speedily rammed Nate into the wall that he previously cornered him into. "I am Quick Man in terms of my agility AND my thinking…"

A familiar sharpening of a shiny metal sound echoed as Nate knew what was to come.

"Oh… crap…" Was all he was able to gasp out as his eyes gazed onto the familiar boomerang object in his enemy's hand. This was definite proof that déjà vu has descended upon the unfortunate brunet. "Not… again…"

"Why… yes again…" Quick Man sinisterly uttered as he held up the boomerang into the air, having the intention to slice Nate's neck. "Now to finally finish on what we started last time… hehehe…"

_Is this really the end for me? Here? At school? Out of all places? _

Nate quickly closed his eyes as he saw the shiny yellow object come lodging straight for him. However, noticing that he didn't fell pain from his neck, he peeked one eye open, curious to know on why wasn't there any blood gurgling from his neck.

_What happened? Am I… dead… yet? _

Before he could finish musing any further, Nate felt his ass hit the cold asphalt ground below him hard, in addition to the clanging noise of the boomerang.

"Yo Nate!? Where did you go dude?" Said boy heard Cameron hollering out for him close by. He looked around to see where Quick Man ran off to. Yet again, he instantly vanished in thin air.

"He's gone… again…" Nate whispered as he saw the boomerang near him. He picked it up and inspected the shiny, yet slightly heavy metallic object in his hands.

"Ow!" The brunet yelped as he pricked himself with the extremely sharp edges. "Damn, this thing could decapitate me..." He looked at the weapon his assassin was about to use in horror. "I guess he really wants me dead… But why?"

"Dude, Nate!" The brunet heard his best friend's voice coming in really close. He thought about showing the weapon to Cameron when the dirty blond-haired teen found him, but at the last moment decided to conceal the object behind his back and maybe tell him later when they were not at school.

"Nate!" Cameron finally found his best friend. He gazed at him in a puzzled manner, wondering why the boy was on the ground. "Dude, why is your ass on the ground…"

"Uh… because…" The Figueroa tried to come up with some lame-ass excuse that he could get away with. "Because… you were taking forever in a day and I got so tired waiting on you that I decided to sit down…"

_Bravo once again Nate… Bravo…_

"Okay…" Cameron said awkwardly, thinking that his best friend was definitely hiding something. "Anyways, let's go back to Trig. I'm sure Hoops is done with the homework grading by now."

"Okay, but go on ahead, I need to uh… tie my shoes…" Nate once again gave an excuse, considering he couldn't just stand up and expose the boomerang that was lying behind him. As he saw Cameron walking on ahead, he picked up the metallic object and decided to conceal it inside a nearby bush.

"I'll come back after school and get you later…" Nate made sure that the yellow object was totally covered from plain sight and ran off to catch up with Cameron down the hall.

In the distance, once again, he failed to notice that Quick Man was indeed still nearby on one of the roofs, eyeing the brunet the entire time after he jammed.

"Hehehe… keep it Nate…" Quick Man demonically chortled. "Think of it… as a nice… souvenir of sorts when I meet you once again... But I _intend _on killing you next time…"

--

* * *

After a typical long day at school, Nate was finally back at home in the comfort of his own room. Luckily, the walk was non-incidental as he forced Cameron to accompany him the entire way.

"So what do you mean exactly by dressing up _trendy _for tonight?" Nate inquired while rummaging through his inventory in the walk-in closet.

"Well you know…" Cameron was lying upside down on the side of Nate's bed. "… Trendy."

"And that's supposed to mean…"

"I don't know…" Cameron sat up to face the brunet. "I guess like a mixture of dress to impress and casual?"

"Hmmm…" Nate rubbed his chin as he thoughtfully took another glance at the available clothes that he had. He decided to pull out a black dress shirt, blue tie, and jeans. "How about these?"

Cameron vigilantly examined the selected articles of clothing with his blue eyes as he stood up from the bed. He gave off a few "Hmmmsss" and "Ummmsss" in the process. After what seemed to be quite awhile to the impatient Figueroa, the blue-eyed teen finally answered. "Yeah, that'll work I guess…"

"Finally. And I'll just wear my low-cut black Chucks with the fat blue laces," Nate exasperatedly sighed in relief as he decided to put the clothing on the bed. "What's with the sudden desire to dress up and go to these so-called trendy places, hmmm?"

Cameron began to slowly pace around the room. "Oh… well I don't know… bored, I guess?" His blue eyes noted a piece of paper on the floor near the desk.

"So you're saying that Judy and I are _boring_?" Nate sarcastically chuckled as he began to gather a few things more before getting ready to change for tonight.

"What! No! That's totally not what I meant dude!" Cameron became defensive, opening up the piece of paper that he picked up. He glared at it a few times before exhibiting off a stare of confusion.

_Quick Man wuz here… Quick Man wuz here… Quick Man wuz here…_

Cameron repetitively read the four words mentally.

_Who the hell is Quick Man? _

"Uh, Nate?"

"Watzup?"

"Who's Quick Man?"

Nate promptly stopped at what he was doing as soon he registered what his friend said. His mental state instantly went on a rinse cycle, thinking of what to do as Cameron put him on the spot.

_Should I tell him… now? _

His eyes gazed over to his backpack, keeping the android's weapon concealed in it for the time being until he was left alone in his room… but of course that wasn't the best of ideas recalling the last time he was left all alone in his room with the window wide open as a 7-Eleven.

_Maybe is not a good time… Would just put too much worry on going out tonight. _

"Quick Man you say?" Nate tried to slap on a convincing smile. "Oh, he just some… just some… uh… character I made up that I'm going to use in one of our assignments for Honors English."

_Smooth Nate… real smooth…_

"Oh… I see…" Cameron flatly replied, seemingly indifferent. "Well you have a weird way of coming up with things dude…"

"Dude, exactly how long have you known me? You should know that I'm just weird in general," Nate genuinely chortled.

Cameron laughed as well. "Haha, I guess you're right…"

"Okay, well I gotta change…" Nate grabbed his clothes on the bed and headed back inside the closet. "Make sure no one tries to open the door… unless you wanna look yourself…" The brunet mockingly teased towards the blond.

"NATE!!" Cameron threw a pillow towards said boy, but to no avail as the Figueroa closed the door. "I seriously did NOT need to hear that!"

As he waited for the brunet to change, the French blond couldn't help but to wrestle with his thoughts on what his best friend had responded to about this mysterious Quick Man dude.

_Nate… I know you're hiding something from me… _

--

* * *

"Arriving at the North Hollywood Station," the intercom's voice blared off, alerting the trio in their _trendy_ attire to get ready to board off the bus. Aside from Nate's attire, Judy had on a red blouse with tight fitting jeans and red hi-top Chucks, while Cameron had on an expensive pair of sunglasses (looked to be from Dior), white dress shirt, khakis, a black pair of low-cut Chucks and a black blazer. Yup, one could say that they were _trendy_… but trendy in NoHo standards?

"Ma'am, what time does the last bus leave?" Nate inquired before he and the other two stepped off the bus.

"The last bus on the Orange Line leaves at 1:30AM sir," the middle-aged bus driver replied.

"Thank you!" Nate kindly gave his thanks before stepping off and seeing the bus turn around in the station's loop to head back towards the Western San Fernando Valley.

The brunet gazed around in his surroundings, trying to immerse himself at the recently transformed and gentrifying NoHo Arts District. There were colorful buildings with bright façades abound, new condos being constructed for the struggling artist and artist-at-heart, unique light poles, plentiful interesting and unique art sculptures, numerous cafés and art theatres and art galleries, and of course… crosswalks that had different colors abound on the ground. Yup, North Hollywood was definitely the place where all of the _hipsters_ of the Valley congregated.

"Wow… so… artsy…" Judy spoke as she adjusted the small purse on her shoulder.

"And so trendy!" Cameron happily replied. "See Nate, I told you so."

"Right…" The brunet gave off an expression of… well… nonchalance.

The trio walked out of the MTA Orange Line Station and went to the sidewalk of a nearby major street.

"What street is this?" Nate tried to look for the typical white on blue street signs of Los Angeles (Note: North Hollywood is NOT it's own city, but a district of the city of Los Angeles). After a few more seconds of walking, the three reached an intersection. "Lankershim… and… Magnolia…"

"That means the place is this way!" The De La Loire pointed down on Lankershim Boulevard.

"Then let's go," The Wu commanded as the _Walk_ signal lit up. After crossing Magnolia and absorbing themselves in the NoHo air for seemingly quite a while, the trio finally reached the front of _Boba NoHo_. Stepping inside, there was evidence that the place was bustling with activity. Various people were happily conversing with each other and having a good time while enjoying their boba and other side dishes with the music blaring from the DJ on the stage.

After finally finding a free table for themselves, Nate offered to save their place while Cameron and Judy went to go order at the counter.

"What do you want dude?" Cameron inquired Nate as the brunet inspected the very simple menu.

"Just get me… a chocolate shake with boba and a side of spicy chicken bites," Nate gave the menu back to his best friend.

"Okay Nate," Cameron walked off to the counter while Judy followed.

"We'll be right back!" she called off, but due to the noisy ambience of the café, Nate couldn't hear a thing she uttered.

While waiting for the two to come back, the Figueroa rubbed his temple as the atmosphere was beyond rambunctious, hearing once in a while some random girl laughing like a hyena about the time she dropped her paint pallet on her shoes or how this one dude's pot exploded inside a kiln.

_Man… people these days…_

Nate stared out the window onto Lankershim Blvd. The headlights from the car beamed onto the street, as the sun was just about to disappear from sight.

_What the hell are those things?_

Nate's brown eyes captured two mysterious figures lurking from a nearby alley. One was too red, black, and yellow cladded like a familiar robot that the brunet knows. The only distinguishable features was the concealed mouth, circular objects with jagged edges on its forehead and shoulders, a strip of blue running down its chest cavity and a pair of upwardly-pointy yellow shaped objects fixating from its ears. The other figure was more irregularly shaped with a blue, yellow, and black clad, a very wide upper torso region, and a very anomalous hole in the upper body with what seems like blades sticking out from the middle of the hole.

_Where are all of these strange ass droid coming fr— Ack!_

Nate immediately took his stare off from the objects to the table in front of him. He could've sworn that two pairs of red stared back at his pair of browns.

"Food and boba are here!" Cameron and Judy began dropping plates of food and containers of boba onto the table. The two began to eat, but immediately stopped when they noticed that the Figueroa wasn't chowing down as well.

"Nate, what's wrong?" Judy had a voice of concern.

"Yeah man, you usually start before we do…" Cameron added in.

"Oh… uh… it's nothing, really…" Nate gave off another fake smile as he began to eat and drink as if nothing happened.

"Are you sure dude?" Cameron wouldn't let the issue go. "'Cuz that Quick Man response you gave me earlier— OW!" The blond yelped as he felt a heavy footstep on his.

"I _said_ drop it…" Nate said in-between his teeth.

"Wait, what now?" Judy now became curious.

"Oh, well I found this piece of paper in Nate's room and it said something like Qu— OW!"

"I _SAID_…DROP IT!" Nate gave the blonde across from him a death glare.

"But Nate—" Cameron was once again stopped at the finger being pointed to him.

"Can we just eat and have a good time here?" Nate pleaded, annoyance heard in his voice.

"Um… okay…" Cameron cooperated by starting to munch on his fried rice.

"Whatever you say…" Judy did the same by eating her noodles.

"Finally…" The Figueroa sighed in relief as he continued to eat his spicy chicken bites. Despite the awkward situation that had just occurred, the trio did end up having an awesome time at the café, enjoying the music and open mic sessions being held at the stage.

"Remember…" Nate pointed out. "The last bus leaves at 1:30."

--

* * *

"Man, what did I tell you guys!?" Nate was huffing and puffing as the trio ran up on Lankershim towards Magnolia. "It's already 1:29!"

"Well I lost track of time dude!" Was the only reply that Cameron could think of. "It's not my fault that the most awesome band was late to play on stage."

"I didn't know either… I guess I got caught up on the excitement as well…" Judy said in her own defense.

As the three reached the Lankershim and Magnolia intersection, they were greeted by a red light and the _don't walk_ signal.

"Screw the light! Keep running!" Nate ordered as the three of them were firmly on the sidewalk, greeted by the honks of oncoming automobiles.

"Sorry!" Judy screamed out towards a particularly angry driver.

After a few more seconds, the Orange Line Station loomed into sight.

"The bus… is… still there…" Cameron managed to breathe out.

"HURRY!!"

The three ran even faster and pushed themselves harder as they got closer and closer to the idling bus. However, panic struck through their systems as the bus closed it doors and began to drive off.

"NOOOOO!!" Nate shouted as he chased after the bus when they got to the station. The brunet finally gave up when he started to get way inside of the busway, deeming it futile. He began to cough and gag a bit as the chilly December air stabbed his lungs like knives.

"Shit…" Cameron uttered matter-of-factly. "Looks like we're stranded…"

"No shit, Sherlock…" Judy sarcastically said.

When Nate finally recovered and walked back towards them, he knew that they were in deep trouble as he threw his arms up in discontent. "How are we gonna get back home? We're stranded all the way on the other side of the Valley!"

"I certainly can't call my parents to bail us out!" The blonde spoke. "You know how French parents are these days…"

"No way in hell I can call my parents either…" Horror can be detected in the Wu's tone. "I'll never be able to go out late ever again."

"Well I can't call them either..." Nate began to scroll through his contacts list. "My dad's sleeping and my mom's at work… but I definitely have no other choice then to call… ugh… Claire…"

_She's so never gonna forget this and never let me live this down. _

As he was about to dial—

_**CLANG**_

"AGH!" Nate shouted as he felt his phone knocked away from him… in addition to receiving a minor laceration on his hand, seeing blood drip down onto a—

"A circular metal blade?" The Figueroa cried out in horror, seeing the jagged metal object on the ground, complete with blood on parts of the edges.

"Uh… Nate…" Cameron frightfully tried to squeak out as he pointed towards something, Judy hiding behind the blond.

"What? What is i— OH CRAP!" Nate widened his eyes in absolute terror at what he was gazing at.

"Hehehe…" A demonic voice harshly chuckled. "Kids like you shouldn't be out this late…"

--

* * *

_Don't forget to review ;-) _


	5. Trouble at the NoHo Orange Line Station

**Author's Note: **All right peeps! I've managed to sneak in one more quick update before I journey off in the land of countless essays, torturing professors and TA's, and busy fraternity stuff. Sorry that it's not as long as I wanted it to be, but that journey has been nagging for me to go on… or else… hahaha :P

-

I would also like to give many, many, many thanks to **PiKA of DEWM** for the awesome fanart relating to this fic :)

--

* * *

_I guess it's totally official… I AM a magnet when it comes to attracting robots. _

Nate continued to mentally curse himself as he, Cameron, and Judy went face to face with the adversity of dealing with two robots in front of them. This would be the third consecutive time the brunet got himself into a mess of things involving robots.

_But noooooo!! It always has to be the ones that want to hurt or kill me… Oh God, what did I do to deserve this? _

"Who the hell are you guys?" Cameron managed to squeak out towards the pair of androids, attempting to calm his nerves of excessively shaking in his shoes. He received a menacing chuckle in reply, as if the question posed was idiotic in relevancy.

"I'm Air Man!" The big and wide blue cladded robot bellowed, the fan blade in its body beginning to turn.

"And I'm of course… Metal Man…" The black, red, and yellow cladded robot introduced himself, conceiting tone and smug smile (though his mouth is concealed) along with it. Said robot began to slowly saunter towards the three humans, the smirk on his face growing while his eyes narrowed. "And you three are within our territory…"

Nate and his buddies emitted an expression of utter confusion, wondering whether or not they were actually dealing with droids or gang members.

"Your _territory_?" Judy scoffed, chortling a bit at the supposed humorous situation occurring right before her chocolate eyes. "Sorry, but this is a public transit plaza. I don't ever recall seeing your names on these walls, unless your name is _Orange Line_."

"Bitch, I didn't ask for your opinion," Metal Man looked amused as he earned a very malevolent glare from the Wu. "Anyways, I'd suggest you guys get the steppin' out of here, or there will be very severe consequences in your futures."

Cameron, deciding to be the bold and brave one in the group, defiantly stepped towards the robots, arms raised up in a _frontin'-like _manner. "Like what, yo?"

Nate smacked his forehead as he nodded in anger and embarrassment towards his best friend, whom was not remedying the situation any further. He quickly grabbed his friend with the blazer, giving him an irate appearance. "What the hell do you think you're doing dude?! They could be freakin' dangerous!"

_Trust me, I should damn well know! _

"Oh relax Nate!" The blond French gave his best friends a reassuring smile. "What on Earth could they possibly do to us? The first rule of robotics says something like about them not able to harm humans…"

Judy gave Cameron a look of perplexity while Nate simply raised his eyebrow at the statement.

_There's a rule like that?! Shit, that sure as hell doesn't apply to someone like Quick Man… nor do I think with Air Man and Metal Man as well… Man, we gotta bail!!_

"Come on you guys, let's just bail!" Nate instructed his friends to follow him away from the robots, but not before being abruptly stopped by two whizzing metal saws piercing the ground at their feet.

"Where do you think you guys are going?" Metal Man threatened the trio with another circular piece of jagged metal in his hands. "I thought you wanted to see what we're capable of… hehehe…" A diabolical snicker growled from his throat. "Yo, Air Man, show these punks what you can do."

"Sure thing!" Air Man complied with the orders by turning on the fan he was equipped with. The motor became louder and louder, in addition to the wind speeds getting stronger and stronger. The three humans tried to hold on their ground, crossing their arms in front of their faces from the intensity of the cold air being gusted towards them.

"Show the dirty-blondie our power!" Metal Man pointed at the now freaked out Cameron. Air Man directed the blasting airflow towards the blond.

"Arrrrgggghhhh!!" Cameron tried to resist, the wind starting to climb up to mad hurricane speeds with trash and other debris blowing towards him. "Must… hold… on… to… my… gr— AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Cameron was literally lifted off the ground becoming airborne.

"CAMERON!!" Nate and Judy shouted in grief, completely helpless as they saw their best friend flying into the air.

_**CRASH**_

The two cringed their faces as they saw Cameron collide hard onto an advertisement kiosk. An aura of horror took over as they gazed upon a motionless blond on the concrete.

"Hold on Cameron, I'm coming!" Judy shouted as she began to scamper towards the limp blond.

"Haha, not so fast girl!" Metal Man tossed the jagged object in his hand towards the running Wu.

Nate caught sight of the dangerous projectile heading on a straight path towards his other best friend. He immediately jumped into action. "JUDY! WATCH OUT!!"

Said girl looked at the screaming brunet before turning her attention to a peculiar whizzing noise seeping into her ears. "What? What's going o— OH DEAR GOD!" Her jaw dropped, eyes widening at the spinning sharp-as-hell metal object. She whimpered as she prepared to brace for impact.

_**SLICE**_

"AAAGGGHHHH!!"

_**THUD**_

Judy found herself on the ground with Nate on top of her. The Figueroa saved her from the catastrophe of being neatly sliced from the metal blade. However, it came at a price for the brunet.

"NATE! NATE! Are you okay?" Judy began attending to her best friend in pain, his face cringing as he held a hand on top of the neatly sliced wound he attained on his left arm. Blood started to seep out below the covered hand.

"Ugh… don't worry, Judy… I'm… fine…" Nate tried to reassure his freaked out friend.

"Are you sure?"

"Ugh… yeah, I'm pretty damn sure…" Nate hissed as a sharp, sudden pain radiated from his laceration. "Listen…" He fixed his gaze towards the fallen blond, whom was a few feet away. "I need you to attend to Cameron and then the both of you to go take cover someplace away from those droids."

Judy gave a very concerned look to the injured Figueroa. "Nate, I can't just leave you out here by yours—"

"Don't worry about it…" Nate interrupted. "I think I know how to get these droids out of our faces. Now go get Cameron and hide. Quick!"

The Wu exhaled a long sigh before finally giving in, helping Nate up in the process. "Okay, just don't do anything stupid. I'll call for help with my phone and I can call your sis with your phone."

"Great!" Nate patted her shoulder. "Now go…"

"Right…" Judy nodded before rushing over to Cameron. She checked him out and found that he was still breathing but just knocked out silly. She was able to drag the blond on the concrete to go hide behind a nearby overhang near the benches.

Now all alone with the two robots, Nate straightened himself out, trying to make use of improvisation of the situation... or at least find something to improvise with.

_Shit… I'm all by myself with two more robots that wanna beat the hell out of me… and I've no plan to remedy the situation… So how did I get in this mess again? Man, I have got to stop acting like the leader for once… _

"Awwww…" Metal Man mockingly teased. "You saved your little girlfriend from being hurt. How romantic…"

"Yeah… so cute yet so lame… I wanted to blow away my tears…" Air Man added his two-cents.

"Dude, she ain't my girlfriend first of all," Nate rolled his eyes. "She's one of my best friends, along with the blond that you injured… you… you… you stupid wanna-be fan thingy."

"WHAT?!" Air Man did not appreciate at what the brunet had just called him.

"Calm down Air Man, you can't let some stupid kid get the best of you," Metal Man began to wave his finger around.

_Dude, why do they keep calling me a "kid"? _

"Anyways… What do you androids want with us?" Nate tried at his ever so tiring negotiating skills.

"Like we said earlier, you three are trespassing into our turf!" The red, yellow, and black cladded droid annoyingly replied.

"Yeah, like totally trespassing!" The droid with the fan added in as well. "We have this and the entire eastside of the Valley belonging to us and our accomplices."

Nate looked shocked at the last word spoken.

_Accomplices… There's more than one? And could that include who I think it is? They must be connected to those incidents that's been happening around this part of the Valley… Oh shit… _

"Soon, we'll take over the entire San Fernando Valley. Then it's on to the South Bay, the Westside, the Eastside, and soon all of Los Angeles will be begging for mercy under the reign of Doctor Wi—"

"Man, shut the hell up Air Man!" Metal Man roughly elbowed the wide robot.

"Sorry, I just got caught up in the excitement there…" Air Man began to shuffle his feet before turning his attention back to the brunet in front of him.

"Well anyways, since you are standing in our way..." A pair of metal blades appeared magically in the hands of the red, yellow, and black cladded robot. "I'm afraid we'll have to kill you and your little friends…"

Nate widened his eyes for the billionth time as the familiar k-word crawled into his ears. He hissed again as the pain from the wound continued to emit, seemingly bigger and bigger every minute.

_Jesus, I guess all these robots really do hate me… _

The brunet tried to think of scenarios to get out of this predicament. Should he run for it? Should he try to talk to the robots? Should he fight them? Should he just cry and curl up into a ball, hoping the droids would show some degree of mercy and compassion to him? However, his slow thinking would prove to be futile as he saw a strange object launching towards his way.

"NOW DIE ALREADY!!" Metal Man shouted as he threw the metal blades. Adding to the fire was a couple of tornadoes Air Man created to surround the blades, adding more punch. Nate, figuring he couldn't fight off the projectile, was about to jump out the way until—

_**CLANG**_

_**CLANG**_

A pair of yellow boomerangs came flying out of nowhere and stopped the tornado missiles from obliterating Nate into pieces. Said brunet turned his attention at the boomerangs that dropped onto the ground, gasping as a pair of hazelnut eyes captured the objects up close and personal.

_Holy shit! I know those boomerangs… but… but… would he really save me? _

He began to desperately look around, looking for the familiar robot that he's encountered lately. Before, dismay would've taken over his body at the sight of the boomerangs. But now, a sense of comfort began to take place in his mind. But is it the right feeling to have?

"What the hell?!" Metal Man stomped furiously as his plan foiled to terminating Nate. He too began to scrutinize the vicinity, looking for the one responsible for sabotaging his plan. "Who's there!?"

Silence was the only feedback Metal Man received.

"I said… WHO'S THERE?!"

Silence once again.

"Oh for crying out— TAKE THAT!" Another metal saw came lunging towards the brunet, who still has yet to notice it hurling right at him.

Judy freaked out at what she saw from a distance. "NATE, WATCH—"

_**BLAST**_

The saw was flicked way from a plasma bullet that came from the dark shadows, totally opposite of where the boomerangs came from. In response, Metal Man growled at the direction where plasma originated.

"Show yourself!" The droid demanded. No reply once again. "COME ON! SHOW YOURSELF AND SAVE YOUR LITTLE FRIENDS HERE!"

This time, a figure emerged from the dark NoHo shadows. Nate inclined his head towards the respective direction to get a closer look. Narrowing his eyes, a tall, light and dark blue cladded object, complete with blue eyes, began to slowly stroll towards where everyone was.

_Another robot? _

"So…" Metal Man drawled at the mysterious being. "Who the hell are you?"

The individual stopped in place as soon as it was under a glorious amount of light. It pointed its arm cannon right towards Metal Man and Air Man.

"My name… is Mega Man…"

--

* * *

_Hmmm, Mega Man and possibly Quick Man trying to help out Nate and his friends? Is that possible? What's going on here? Eh, you'll see soon…_

_Don't forget to review ;-)_


	6. The Battle of NoHo

**Author's Note: **What luck I have managing to finish this chapter, despite a really busy first full week of the first quarter!! SWEET!! Also I've noticed that the reviews have been sort of dropping as of late. Come on all of you readers out there!! Step it up and leave a review. It can be long or short and sweet. It's up to you :)

Otherwise, I seriously give my biggest thanks to all of you out there!! You guys are majorly _**awesome**_!! Spread the word about this fic to those who appreciate Mega Man and the classic robot masters.

Enjoy!!

--

* * *

Nate gazed in awe as he saw the blue robot emerge from the shadows. Guessing from observation, the brunet figured that the azure coated figure was slightly taller than him, but definitely shorter than the other two nasty droids that he was up against. The blue android also sported navy-tinted eyes that had sense of pride, selflessness, and justice for others. Yup, Nate definitely deduced that this robot, who called himself _Mega Man_, was on the side of good and not evil.

_Hope this robot is what he stands for…_

Back in the center of the action, Metal Man couldn't help but to demonically cackle at the sudden appearance of the shorter droid in blue.

"Hahaha! You really think you could take us on… _Mega Man_…" The droid in red, yellow, and black replied with intimidation, drawling especially at the blue robot's name.

"I may not be as physically imposing as you…" Mega Man proceeded to walk closer and closer until he was maybe a good few feet away from Metal Man and Air Man. "But I definitely have the advantage when it comes to courage, will, integrity, and mental strength." He straightened out his posture, signifying that was indeed strong and willing to fight evil.

"HAHAHAHA!!" Metal Man mockingly chortled, seeing on how he could possibly take Mega Man seriously. "Who do you think you are anyways? Some kind of _blue bomber_? You make me sick…" A new shiny metal was produced in the droid's hand. He held it up, ready to launch it towards the annoyance-of-a-robot in front. "Air Man, let's show this piece of junk what we can really do."

"You got it!" Air Man produced a couple of more blue colored tornadoes along with the synchronization of metal blades that were lanced onto Mega Man. Said robot immediately dodged out the way of the projectiles, one of the blades nearly piercing his azure coated exterior. He kneeled on one knee, sighing in relief.

"Man, that was clo— UH OH!" Mega Man hastily rolled out of the way once again as additional projectiles leered towards him. He found himself landing right in front of Nate, whom was still holding his arm from the laceration he sustained from one of Metal Man's blades. "Yo dude, I would take cover if I were you."

At first, Nate stared at the azure robot as if he didn't know what he was talking about. However, he instantly comprehended at the situation he was caught in, the stinging in his arm serving as a reminder.

"Right!" The Figueroa began to make his way over to where his other two friends were currently taking shelter in.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Metal Man once again tossed a pair of jagged blades towards Nate. As the whizzing projectiles came closer and closer, the brunet could only don the expressive _deer caught in the headlights_ face as he saw the blades only mere meters from him.

_**THUD**_

"OOMPH!" was the word that escaped Nate's mouth as he felt his whole frame being tackled from the side and landing quite hard onto the cold concrete ground. "ACK!" He hissed as he landed on his wound.

"Sorry about that dude…" Mega Man apologetically uttered while on top of the brunet. "But if I haven't pushed you out of the way, you would've had some body parts on the ground instead of one whole you."

"Ugh… that's nice… Mega Man… but could… you… GET OFF OF ME!" Nate struggled as he felt the weight of heavy metallic pressing against his body. "YOU'RE HEAVY!"

"Oh… sorry dude…" Mega Man briefly chuckled before getting off of the brunet below him. He offered his hand out which Nate gladly took to get himself back up. As soon as both figures were back up on their feet, Mega Man noticed the nasty gash on Nate's right arm. "Ooohhh… that's a nasty cut. Are you okay?"

_Does it look like I'm okay?_

"Yeah, no worries, I'm fi— UGH!" The brunet hissed as a breeze of cool air blew into his laceration.

"Listen, you should go with your friends over there. It's too dangerous for a human to fight these androids," Mega Man tried to reason. Of course, the brunet shook his head in agreement, not needing to be told twice.

"Right..." Nate began to make his way where Judy took Cameron out of harm's way. "Be careful out there… blue dude…"

Mega Man beamed off a small smile before giving the assurance of a thumb's up. "I'll do my best to protect you guys."

Nate nodded before continuing on his way. When he got to the benches in the waiting area, his hazelnut eyes captured the girl sitting on the bench while the blond boy was lying on his back, seemingly resting comfortably.

"How's he doing?" Nate inquired as he looked upon the resting dirty-blond.

"He's still knocked out, but despite a few bruises, I think Cameron will be fine once he wakes up," Judy replied as she shifted in her sitting posture. Nate was definitely glad that she was an aspiring medical doctor.

"Cool…" The brunet took a seat next to the Wu before gazing back towards the battle that was occurring nearby.

"Shouldn't we help him out?" The bold inquiry escaped from the young Asian woman's mouth.

"It's too dangerous for us to fight along with him…" Nate began to rub his chin very gingerly. "But… we may have to spring into action if worse comes to worse."

Judy simply shook her head. Her headstrong oriented attitude assured one that she would not back or wuss out of a tense situation. "Right…"

--

* * *

"You think you can do better than that?" Metal Man taunted as he and Air kept launching their artillery towards Mega Man, not giving the Blue Bomber any sufficient opportunities to launch his own offensive moves. Aside from a few open shots from his buster, no real progress has been made.

"Ugh!" The azure coated robot grunted as he barely evaded another blade and tornado. "How much more of this can I take?"

"Ready to give up yet?" Air Man intensely voiced out as he blasted out more of his tornadoes.

"I don't give up that easi—"

_**CLANK **_

The Blue Bomber instantly fell forward as he felt the thick metal of a heavy-duty trash receptacle come crashing on the back of his head. Despite being equipped with a helmet to prevent further head trauma, the collision was strong enough to knock Mega Man down face first onto the concrete, thanks to the sudden burst of winds Air Man's tornadoes have generated.

"Owww… my face…" The azure robot mumbled as he lifted his face from the ground. Not a moment too soon, two pairs of heavy metallic boots came stomping in front of Mega Man, a red one disrespectfully stepping onto his cheek, rendering him immobile to escape.

"Hahaha! It looks like you've got no where to run…" Metal Man had an immense smug of a smile shining on his face. "Heh, some _Mega Man_ you turned out to be… PATHETIC!!"

"Can we kill him now, Metal Man? Please?" A perception of glee can be discerned in Air Man's voice. Mega Man couldn't help but to think how could a simple trash can bring him into a sticky situation such as this. How could he have let his guard down? Why wasn't he taking note of the environment they were all immersed in?

"Hehehe, why not? He's useless to his human pals anyways…" Metal Man beamed off a distasteful grin.

--

* * *

Nate and Judy watched in horror in the background as they saw their blue savior being balefully stepped on the face with death written on his body. The two really wanted to intervene, but were not sure on how to approach the situation.

"We've got to help him!" Judy assertively whispered. "Mega Man will be killed if no one steps in to help!"

"I know! But how the hell are we gonna stop two domineering robots?" Nate murmured as well, his head as empty as a bottle of water in the desert.

"Well… uh… we better think of something _quick_ then!" Judy began to go into her intellect mode.

On the other hand, Nate began to briskly scan the immediate surroundings in the hopes of finding something useful for the current circumstances. Within a few seconds, he smiled as his hazelnut eyes locked onto a couple of objects that were used earlier… in addition to the buzzword that Judy stated earlier.

_Something "quick" eh? Hehehe, sometimes it just makes me wonder as well…_

"Judy… this may be risky, but I think I have plan…" Nate slowly articulated.

Immediately, the Wu turned her attention to the Figueroa beside her. "Really?"

"Yeah… and I'll definitely need your help for this to work…"

--

* * *

Mega Man distressingly tried to get the heavy foot of Metal Man off of his face. It proved to be forlorn as the other robot was just too strong in strength and weight.

"Get… OFF OF ME!!" The Blue Bomber demanded, attempting to point his buster cannon at the droid on top of him. "ARGH!"

"Shut the hell up!" Metal Man forcefully kicked Mega Man's arm to the ground once again, showing who was the boss at the moment. "Now, how shall we kill you tonight?"

"Bite me!" Mega Man's quick wit did not please the droid once again as he was now being kicked on his sides. "UGGGHHH!!"

"Didn't I just tell you to _shut the hell up_?" The red, yellow, and black cladded figure gave another strong kick before resuming his pondering state of mind.

"How about I spin him in a vortex and then you could toss blades at him for the hell of it?" Air Man suggested.

"Hmmm, sounds nice I guess… but I want something that will enable me to slice him into pieces…" Metal Man folded his arms as he went through a very thoughtful process.

"What about you guys leaving him alone and go screw with each other?"

Both Metal Man and Air Man abruptly turned around, finding an Asian girl standing in he distance with a provocative stance and attitude.

"Yeah, you heard me right!" Judy tried to keep up the act. "I know you two must be love birds or something like that!"

_Nate, this plan of yours better work…_

"You're that bitch who claims that this ain't our turf!" Metal Man sneered at the young teenager, glaring daggers into her eyes.

"That's right yo!" Judy tried to front without letting any of the awkwardness impede the situation. "And I wanna say that if you don't leave Mega Man alone… that… uh… I… will hit you so hard… that you'll land in another ZIP code…"

_Wow, Judy… Just… wow… Take a page out of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air"._

"Oh really?" Metal Man had the biggest demonic smile on his face. "Air Man: Show this young lady the way out of here… preferably via… _Air Express_…"

"Yes sir!" Air Man eagerly replied. The wide droid began to start up the fan located on the middle of his frame. A gust of wind began to develop in the path where Judy was standing. However, there was a slight problem for him to gain any more wind speed.

_**CLANG**_

_**CLANG**_

"What the—"

_**SCREEEEEEECCCCCCHHHHHH**_

"AAAAAHHHHH!!" Air Man began to scream in panic and pain. "MY… FAN!!" The droid attempted to look inside his chest cavity. Through the smoke now seeping out of the fan, he could make out two yellow boomerangs that jammed his internal system. "WHO… DID… THIS?!"

_**FWEEEEEEETTTT**_

"Right over here you dumb robot!" A voice called out nearby in accompany to the whistle. Air Man immediately turned around. He gazed at none other than the brunet he tried to kill earlier.

"YOU!!" Air Man immediately became angry, despite his systems now being overheated due to the boomerangs now jammed in his fans.

"Heh, I have to say that those boomerangs were really heavy…" Nate gave a smug smirk of his own. "Thankfully, you were too dumb to notice I was only a few feet away from you earlier. Damn, and I though robots were supposed to be smart."

_Yet I'm sooooooo glad this worked… otherwise I wouldn't have the biggest clue on what to do next…_

"Metal Man! Why didn't— why didn— say anything about that k— k— id being close b— by?" Air Man's systems were now failing him due to the excessive heat from the jammed motor, spreading throughout his body like cancer.

"I wanted to see your big finish dumb ass!" Metal Man failed to notice that he stepped off of Mega Man, sauntering towards his wide companion. "But since you can't do that, I guess I'll have to finish the job myself!" The red droid unleashed two more metal blade projectiles towards Nate.

_**BLAST **_

_**BLAST**_

_**BLAST**_

Two plasma bullets immediately shot down the weapons. Metal Man grumbled as he knew that the Blue Bomber was meddling with his plans once again. However, he didn't expect the next sound to come into his senses.

_**THUD**_

He looked to where the sound originated. The next the he knew, he was staring at Air Man, face first onto the concrete ground, smoke now seeping throughout his body, in addition to a big hole in the back of his head from what looks to be from a plasma shot.

"Air Man!" Metal Man cried out. He now had the face the facts that he was all alone and outnumbered, despite that two of them were only humans… pretty smart humans.

"Looks like it's game over for you, Metal Man!" Mega Man drawled at the name as he walked up to the limp Air Man. He put his right hand onto the fallen droid's arm cannon. For a few seconds, a strange sound began to emit from where the two were.

Judy caught up with Nate from the opposite side. The two stared in awe as a shiny bright light now began to beam off from where Mega Man was.

"What's going on?" Judy questioned with an awestruck expression.

"I don't know…" Nate replied with an equally wonderstruck face.

But as soon as Nate finished speaking, the bright light disappeared. The two humans, in addition to Metal Man, widened their eyes as they saw the Blue Bomber emerge from the light.

Mega Man now donned a completely different colored body armor, consisting of sky blue boots, waist, hands, helmet, and a white colored suit.

"What's the meaning of this?" Metal Man became defensive, ready to attack anything that the blue bomber would bring him.

"Heh…" Mega Man only simpered. "Metal Man, I suggest you and Air Man get the steppin' out of here before you pay some very serious consequences…"

"TRY ME!!" Said robot threw yet another pair of jagged metal blades.

"AIR SHOT!!" Mega Man shouted, unleashing three rounds of tornadoes of his own from his arm cannon. The projectiles immediately stopped Metal Man's attempts of harming the Blue Bomber.

"WHAT'S THIS?!" Metal Man shouted, but was too late to notice the tornado that came crashing right into his path. "AGGGGGHHHHHHH!!" He screamed as he was easily picked into air before being easily tossed like a rag doll next to his buddy that was still out.

_**THUD**_

"Uggghhh…" Metal Man rubbed his temple as he landed quite hard onto the ground.

"Don't… move…" Mega Man ordered as he pointed his arm cannon towards the droid.

Despite the order, Metal Man was brave as he grabbed onto his fallen colleague. "You may have won the battle… But mark my words… WE _**WILL **_TAKE OVER THE VALLEY... THE ENTIRE CITY OF ANGELS… AND THEN THE WORLD!! HAHAHAHAHA!!"

Before anyone could comprehend with the craziness, Metal Man and Air Man instantly disappeared as a red laser beam shot up into the sky, the cackling continuing nonetheless.

"Damn! They teleported away!" Mega Man grumbled, kicking the ground with his boots before returning back to his default armor suit colors. He then focused his pool of blue eyes at the humans. "Hey… are you two okay?"

Nate and Judy gave a reassuring nod, managing to give off a smile after all they went through.

"We'll be fine…" Nate replied for the both of them. "But I'm not sure if our other friend will be—"

"Uggghhhh… my head…" The three of them heard a voice croaking from the nearby bench.

"CAMERON!!" Nate and Judy cried in joy, their best friend finally awake.

"Yeah… that's my name alright…" Said boy managed to give off a chuckle, before being attacked by hugs of relief. "OOMMPPHH!!"

"How are you feeling?" Nate inquired, not letting go of the hug, along with Judy.

"I'm okay… just feel a bit groggy, that's all…" Cameron managed to get out, despite being squeezed to death.

"We're just glad you're okay!" Judy smiled before relinquishing the hug with the brunet. "You took a hard hit back there..." She pointed at the ad kiosk.

"What? What do you— OH SHIT!" Cameron looked on in shock as his cobalt eyes stared in disbelief on the shape of the kiosk. "I took that hard of hit?"

"You certainly did dude!" The French boy immediately turned his attention to where the unfamiliar voice came form.

"Who the hell are you?" Cameron inquired at the azure colored robot.

"Oh my bad, hehehe. I'm Mega Man, nice to meet you!" Said robot offered his hand out to the dirty-blond who reluctantly shook it back. "I was the one who helped your other two friends while you were knocked out cold."

"Well… uh… thanks… I guess…" Cameron was still at a loss of words. "I wouldn't know what to do if I found out that these two lame-o's were gone if I wasn't awake to see."

Before any more conversation can be ensued, sirens began to blare from the background.

"Well, looks like my job is done here," Mega Man stood up to look down at the three Valley teenagers. "Keep your guards up. You'll never know when some insane robot might attack you. And if you guys are in any danger, just know that I'll be there when things look bad… Laters!!" And with that, Mega Man instantly teleported into the sky with a beam of blue.

The three looked up until they couldn't see the beam anymore.

"Mega Man, huh?" Cameron spoke amid the silence.

"Yup… Mega Man…" Nate added in.

"Our new hero..." Judy began to smile with dreary eyes. "He's so HOT too!! Like TOTALLY!!"

The two dudes couldn't help but to roll their eyes at that notion... in addition to the _Valley Girl_ moment.

"Riiiggghhhttt…"

"Nate! Cameron! Judy!" A voice called out from the street.

"Sis!" Nate waved towards the dressed-up female running in her heels. For once, he was actually glad to see his older sister.

"Are you guys alright?" Claire asked with concern in her voice, a surprise for the younger sibling.

"Yeah, it's all good, no worries…" Nate reassured his elder sibling.

"Just be glad that Judy called right away…" Clair chuckled before socking her brother.

"Ow…" Nate softly spoke. "Thanks Judy!"

"Heh, for sure…"

Before anything could go on any further, the sounds of sirens came closer and closer as they saw numerous LAPD squad cars and ambulances heading towards their direction.

_How will I ever explain this to mom and dad? _

Nate also recalled about the yellow boomerangs that came into the scene earlier.

_I wonder if those were really targeted for me… And could that "insane robot" status be applied to… you know… Would he be there as well?_

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of a nearby building, a familiar black, red, and yellow cladded robot was standing by, clearly watching tonight's events as they progressed. The yellow crescent on his head shone under the moonlight.

"I had the chance to get him right then and there…" The droid pondered to himself, folding his arm just under the crescent embedded on his chest. "But... why did I… I… I…" He let out a long sigh, his breath visible in the chilly December air.

"… _Hesitate…" _

--

* * *

Nate was finally back in his bedroom on his iMac after he and his friends went through some serious questioning from the LAPD and having his laceration treated sustained from Metal Man as evident with the large bandage wrap on his arm. Luckily, his parents weren't awake and Claire promised that she would keep this a secret from them… but with a price.

"Ugh… what a long night… Wonder if it'll be on channel 7 in the morning?" Nate glanced at the clock on the upper right hand corner of the screen. It read 3:00AM.

"Oh my God… I haven't even done my homework yet…" The brunet aggravatingly sighed as he rested his head in his hands, just wanting to pull his hair out of his scalp. "I guess I should get some sort of sleep before figuring out how I can finish all of my homework before I leave for school…"

Nate was about to shut off his computer before he remembered a certain name he heard on the news from the previous night.

_Doctor Thomas Light…_

Without hesitation, Nate decided to log onto UCLA's Department of Electrical Engineering website. There, he was able to find out more about the said doctor's information.

"Hmm… has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology..." Nate continued to scroll down the webpage. "An M.S. in Electrical Engineering/Computer Science from MIT as well… and a Sc. D (Doctorate of Science) in Electrical Engineering/Computer Science from the University of California, Los Angeles… Heh, no wonder this guy is old… He's been in school since forever…"

Nate continued to peruse through the page, noting the numerous awards he has won and been acknowledged for, various pictures from different projects and researches he has undertaken, grants he's been awarded, and finally contact information.

_If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to e-mail me at light AT ee DOT ucla DOT edu  
_

Nate clicked on the hyperlink, bringing up the Mail application window on the screen. Seeing the blank page with the flashing insertion point, the Figueroa began to type the following:

_--_

_Hello Dr. Thomas Light!_

-

_My name is Nathan Figueroa. I am currently a junior at Reseda High School, residing in Encino. I was curious to see if I could possibly interview you in person as I have a lot of questions in regards to my science research report relating to robotics and its impact on humans. _

_I look forward to hearing from you!_

-

_Best Regards, _

_Nathan Figueroa_

_nate DOT figueroa818 AT gmail DOT com _

_818.555.1562_

_--_

"There…" Nate sighed as he clicked the _send_ button. Closing up all the windows and shutting down his iMac, the brunet sauntered his way towards the closet to hastily change into his pajamas before catching some z's.

_**TAP**_

_**TAP **_

_**TAP **_

"Hello Nate…"

Said boy instantly became motionless as he heard the tapping coming from his window. He was absolutely sure that the window was closed shut when he got to his room ever since that one incident… or did he? Taking a deep breath, Nate slowly turned around to face the window.

He was definitely in for a surprise.

"HOLY... CRAP!! QUICK MAN!!" Nate fell back onto the floor as he realized that a tiny crack of his window was open, gazing towards the familiar visitor he had in his room once again.

"Oh come on… I know you _love it_ when I'm around…"

--

* * *

_Seems like Quick Man just loves being a frequent visitor at Nate's house eh? _

--

_Yeah, I know the action scene was sorta lame, but let me assure you that there is A LOT more to come!!_

--

_Oh my God... The Blue Bomber talks with slang? Yes... Mega Man is a "Valley Robot"... but NOT a Valley Girl/Valley Dude/Valley Kid... Yeah, it may seem to be a bit OOC, but I swear that it'll be the same Mega Man/Rock Man that you all know and love :) No "Yo, yo, yo homey" or stuff like how I would talk... hahaha _

--

_And yes, that is a real e-mail address that was written on this page. Try writing an e-mail to nate DOT figueroa818 AT gmail DOT com (w/o the space and using the appropriate symbols of course for DOT and AT) __ and see what happens, lol ;-) _

_And perhaps I should say this: Looks and words can be… deceiving… _

_Don't forget to review ;-) _


	7. Will the Encounters Never End?

**IMPORTANT: **As of **7 July 2009****, **this chapter has been partially _**re-written!!! **_Please disregard anything before that date, as there has been some changes made that'll impact the story. Thanks!!!

**Author's Note: **Dude, first off I deeply apologize for not updating this story in so, so, so very long. I forgot how busy life can get with school, frat stuff, and picking up a lil' bro in the frat to make sure that he crosses successfully into it and making me an awesome big bro! Also turning 21 on December 7th made my party life a bit more… interesting… now, hehehe, but no worries, I did NOT forget about this story and I promise to try to get weekly updates on this.

This chapter is pretty short and just serves more as a filler to confirm that yes, I am indeed alive and well, and also as a warm-up since I haven't written stuff in awhile, so bear with me here.

Once again, I apologize for not updating for so long and to say that all of you readers out there are truly awesome and thanks for all of the support in keeping me inspired to continue on with this fic.

Enjoy!!!

---

* * *

_Ah dude… déjá vu must love me, huh? Heh, the world must really hate me…_

Nate continued to crawl on his hands and behind backwards on the floor, masking on a horrific countenance while the ever so familiar black, red, and yellow cladded robot slowly took a step forward each time the brunet crawled back.

"Wh—... wh—… what do y—… y—… want fr— from me?" A sense of fear was definitely present in the brunet's stuttering voice.

Only silence was the initial reply from Quick Man as he continued to take slow steps at the terrified teenager… while taking note of his surroundings.

"Heh, nice digs you got here kid…" Quick Man snorted with a demonic smile. Apparently he noted the blue painted walls filled with pictures of Nate and his friends and family, random art portraits, a few collages, anime posters, band posters (such as Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, Paramore, Tokio Hotel, Yellowcard, The Vines, Good Charlotte, The Academy Is, All American Rejects, Jimmy Eat World, No Doubt, Simple Plan, Blink-182, etc.), tennis posters (from Maria Sharapova, Martina Hingis, Andre Agassi, Ana Ivanovic, the Williams Sisters, etc.), and other so-called knick knacks. "Seems like not much has changed since I last came in here." The droid couldn't help but to chuckle a bit under his breath. "Heh, I'm sure you remember that lil' encounter."

And oh for sure did he recall that.

"Uh… heh?" was all that Nate could crack out. Yup, he was sure as hell clueless on what to do at the moment. Brushing his long, _emo-looking_ (and how he despised being called that) brunet locks that covered his left eye, he began to scan his immediate surroundings, utterly desperate to look for any object deemed useful to fend off the droid.

_Aha! The broken lamp stand!_

Nate immediately grabbed the broken metal pole.

_Hmmmm, how come I never cleaned up the mess here… Eh, oh well, but here goes nothing..._

He closed his eyes and swung the pole with all of the remaining strength he had towards the intruder.

_**CLAAAAANNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG**_

Nate cringed his face as he felt the violent vibration of metal hitting metal in his arms. The shockwaves traveled into his arms and eventually his entire body. As the annoying resonance ceased, he decided to open his eyes to see what kind of damage he caused… if any.

_Oh please let it be good… let it be good… let it be g— _

Dismay promptly returned as Nate saw the metal pole he swung towards Quick Man in the hands of said robot, no harm done whatsoever.

_Just… effin'… great…_

"Uh… what do you think you're doing?" Quick Man raised an eyebrow, holding the pole effortlessly in his hand.

"Ohhhhhh shit…" Nate said aloud as he released the object, Quick Man still clenching onto it. "Uhhh… errrr…. a reflex… I guess?" The brunet managed to crack a nervous smile, small chuckle included, hoping to lighten up the mood. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with the android above him narrowing his eyes in annoyance.

_Err… I guess he's not amused, eh?_

"Now enough of this nonsense and let's cut to the chase," Quick Man's assertive voice echoed throughout the room, quickly tossing the metal pole out the window and into the backyard pool, followed by a big splash. He proceeded to hastily pick up the teenager, forcing him to stand up straight and eventually slamming him very hard against the wall.

"AAAGGGHHH—!" Nate cried out in pain as the back of his skull bumped the wall, but not before being hastily hushed by having his mouth covered with the strong touch of cold metal.

_God, I guess this is becoming a routine thing now._

"Now… tonight I just saw a _rather_ interesting show from the distance in… North Hollywood…" Quick Man once again put on that nice, but deceiving smirk, keeping the brunet's shoulders pinned firmly against the wall.

"You… were there?" Nate managed to say through Quick Man's hand, mentally smacking himself moments later as he recalled the events from earlier.

_Duh, you smart ass… Remember the boomerangs that were used to fend off what's-their-name? Metal Man and Air Man is it? It has to be him!_

"But of course," the robot squinted his eyes, looking intently through Nate's chocolate-colored ones. "Remember what I said in our first meeting?"

The brunet quizzically shook his head, despite the precarious situation he was in. Quick Man couldn't help but to deeply exhale a sigh as he looked away for a moment, eventually returning his gaze to meet the teen's.

"I _said_ that I would always be on you at all times…" A scoff escaped from the metallic figure's mouth as he shook his head from side to side. "I guess humans are dumber and _slower_ than I thought…" And so, Quick Man commenced an all-mighty, fast-paced, but long ass lecture about robots, humans, his speed, and intelligence.

And knowing Nate… he could NOT stand lectures.

_Oh my god… I have GOT to get out of here… But how?!?!?_

Nate sure as hell did not have the faintest idea on how to get out of Quick Man's death grip. He steadily recalled the last time he was in a grip like this, he was being throttled to death and nearly blacked out… but not without seeing his life flash right before his eyes!

Suddenly, he felt something vibrating in his pocket… his cell phone!!!

_Maybe I could call or text someone (or at least attempt it since I can really only do it with one hand for the moment) for help while he's talking… Whatever as long I try to do something instead of sitting here._

The brunet went over to reach for his cell phone in his pocket with his left arm until—

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Nate shrieked in agony, feeling a strong grip on the bandaged wrapped part of his injured left arm. The stinging was more than a human could stand.

_Why can't anyone in this house hear my screams? God, even the neighbors should be able to hear them!_

"Once again, you must think I'm so idiotic to not notice you trying to make a move for help while I'm lecturing," the robot squeezed the arm even harder, causing the human to cry louder. The brunet wanted to slump onto the floor as the pain made his legs feel like wobbly sticks.

"AAAHHH—!"

_**SMACK**_

Nate's head lolled to the side as he was immediately silenced by Quick Man's cold, metallic hand slapping his cheek. The slap was so hard that warm tears began to form in his eyes. Streams of fluid began to drip along his face when he blinked, slightly hissing when it made contact with the reddish area where he was smacked. Certainly a bruise would form there soon.

"You better calm down and keep you freakin' mouth shut…" Quick Man continued to keep a firm grip on the brunet's shoulders. "I could've knocked you out with one blow and killed you, but I think a hard slap would've be better since I want you to feel the pain and keep you alive."

"Alive?" Nate scoffed while sniffing. "It seems more like you wanted me de— AAAHHH!!!"

"What did I say, HUH?!" Quick Man applied even harder pressure on the injured arm, resisting the urge to just knock out the human in front of him… though another slap wouldn't hurt.

_Dude, I've never seen Quick Man so aggressive before… what's up with him?_

The brunet was sure in a jam this time. Although he was still debating in his mind whether or not this was his worst encounter than their last previous ones, Nate finally deduced that this was by far the most aggressive one with Quick Man smacking him definitely taking the cake. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard that oh-so-familiar, yet awful shining sound coming from Quick Man as the droid reached around his back.

_Oh no… not this again… _

"Now to do… what I should've done…" Quick Man briefly paused, absorbing the dramatic pause in the room, hearing Nate's breathing becoming more labored. "... a _loooonnnnggggg_ time ago…"

The brunet on the wall couldn't help but to widen his eyes, suppressing the whimper that tried to escape from his mouth. He cringed his face even more as the sound of Quick Man's evil cackle crept into his ears.

_Must do something! Must do something! Must do someth—_

"What the hell is going on in here?" Nate opened his eyes as he heard a very familiar voice coming from the open window. He turned his heard towards it… and somewhat sighed in relief at the sight.

_Cameron's here!_

"Ugh, what now?!" Irritability becoming apparent in the red, yellow, and black cladded robot's voice as he gazed at the spiky blond climbing through the window, bandaged and all on his head due to the concussion he suffered earlier.

As Cameron was finally well inside the room, one would think that he would instantly spring into action to save his best friend's ass from a hell-of-a predicament. Instead, he awkwardly stared at Nate being gripped into the wall by some strange robot.

"Again I say: What the hell is going on in here?" Cameron scratched the back of his head, obviously confused.

Nate couldn't help but to mentally shake his head from side to side.

_What does it look like, you blond idiot!!! _

After staring at the blond for a few more moments, Quick Man eventually released Nate from his death grip, whom instantly slumped to the floor with a nice thud following right after since the brunet nearly passed out from the pain.

"I guess your friend here, _Nate_, doesn't like introducing me to his other friends." Quick Man began to slowly stalk his blond prey.

Cameron was perplexed. The De La Loire only wanted to talk to his best friend about something, but is now up against this red, yellow, and black cladded thingamajig. He slowly walked backwards as the robot followed him. "Uh… who the hell are you? And what are you doing to my best friend?"

Once again, the android couldn't help but to laugh at the questions being posed to him. "Oh forgive me, but sometimes my train of thoughts go faster than I would want them to. Allow me to introduce myself…" The boomerang that he held in his hand was now tossed into the air, the droid doing a little spin around before catching it into his hand and finishing off with some kind of pose, complete with a shiny sound of metal in the end. "My name… is Quick Man…"

The Frenchie widened his blue eyes as the name registered into his mind. "So _you're _Quick Man…"

"Heh, looks like you've heard of me before kid…"

"I guess you could say that…" Cameron recalling the piece of paper he found on Nate's floor. He was sure gonna have to make his brunet-of-a-best-friend explain a lot to him later on… but for now, he had other problems to deal with. "So anyways, why are you here in his room? What's your business for being here?"

Quick Man barked out a rough laughter. "Heh, I'm only paying a visit to _my _bestfriend on the floor here." The robot pointed to Nate, who was busy nursing his injured right arm, not exactly paying attention to what's going on.

"You mean _my _best friend you douche!" Bravery echoed in Cameron's voice.

_Where the hell did that come from? Anyways…_

"Anyways, I suggest you get the steppin' before I— er… I— do something… really bad to you…"

_Bravo Cameron! Now that's really gonna scare him. _

"Such a pathetic idiot!" Quick Man remarked, rolling his eyes to the side.

"Uh… _excuse_ me?" The blond was not at all pleased at the droid's words. Although he knew other people saw him as being dimwitted or clueless at times, Cameron always got pissy when such words were expressed orally, causing his anger to rise and make him do… well something… stupid. "I know I didn't just hear the words _pathetic _and _idiot_ mingled in together."

"You heard correctly you _paaaatttthhhheeeettttiiiicccccc idioootttttttt_…" the android drawled.

Nate, who was just now starting to become aware on what was going on, knew something bad was going to happen when he heard those two words being constantly stated. Knowing his best friend, he could only whisper, "Cameron… please don't do anything stupid…"

And his words fell into deaf ears as the blond began to blindly charge into the robot, coming to no avail as Quick Man just simply stepped onto the side, letting Cameron collide with the wall.

"OMPH!" The blond grunted as he turned around, but was abruptly pinned to the wall as well by Quick Man in a mere matter of microseconds.

"There is a reason why my name is Quick Man you dimwitted human…"

"Doesn't mean your mind is quick wit— UGH!" The blond was roughly shoved against the wall.

"Like I said… there is a reason why my name is _Quick_ Man!"

Nate gaped in horror as he watched his best friend getting the same rough treatment that he's stumbled upon at least three times now. He attempted to get up to try to intervene but—

"AAAGGGHHH!!!" The Figueroa sat back down, quickly gripping onto his bandaged wound, the discomfort just seemingly getting worse and worse. He was now as useless as an empty piggy bank.

Meanwhile, Cameron was still having problems of his own trying to get out of Quick Man's clutches.

"Ugh, let me go you piece of junk!" The blond grunted, trying desperately to free himself from the wall, but was no use. Quick Man was just too strong.

"Not a chance in hell," said robot smirked as he began to reach something from behind his back.

"NOO— AGH!!!" The stinging sensation returning once again as Nate for the second time attempted to get up to intervene and warn his best friend about the familiar boomerangs that will soon appear. Instead, the brunet laid back onto the carpet to keep the pain in check.

_Where are the painkillers when you need them the most?_

"Cam— ugh… Cam— eron… watch— ugh… ou—"

_**BLAST**_

"ACK!!!" Quick Man yelped as he dropped the yellow-coated boomerang onto the carpet, quickly gripping his hand at the discomfort. "What gives?!"

Taking the opportunity, Cameron hastily retreated away from the Quick Man and immediately went to Nate's side, despite being in pain.

"Are you alright Nate?"

"Yeah, I'll live…" Nate slightly hissed as he felt another stinging sensation in his arm. "But what the hell was that blast?"

"I dunno…" Cameron scratched his head before the two resumed their gaze at Quick Man, still nursing his hand.

"Who's out there?" The droid called out towards the window where the plasma blast originated. "Show yourself!"

No response came as darkness and the shimmering pool were the only things present in the backyard.

"Anyways…" Quick Man averted his attention back onto the two human teenagers. "I think it's time that—"

_**BLAST**_

That time, the blast destroyed some clay art sculpture Nate did back in the day. Nothing was left but charred shattered pieces and smoke steaming up from the remains.

"Uh… my clay thingy…" Nate dully said, but not in the upcoming comparison to Quick Man.

"OK, that's it!" The android pulled out two pairs of boomerangs and rapidly jumped outside the window.

"Hurry, close the freakin' window!" Nate ordered Cameron, who did not need to be told twice. The blond quickly got up, pulled the window down, and confirmed its security with the sound of the lock's click. The two then proceeded to watch the action outside.

Speaking of the outside, Quick Man began to search all over the backyard for any signs of his possible assassin. After impatiently searching all around within a matter of seconds, the robot quickly gave the two gawking teens at the window a long and hard glare.

"Heh… anyways I think I'm done for tonight. See you two later…" And with that, a beam of red streamed up straight into the air until it disappeared from sight.

Though Nate and Cameron couldn't hear what Quick Man voiced, they pretty much got the notion that wasn't going to be the very last time they would see him.

Shutting the curtains behind them, the two teens sighed in relief as they both sat on the edge of the bed.

"So do you mind telling me who this Quick Man dude is and what in God's name he was doing in here, trying to throttle you?" Cameron tried to get a response from Nate, which totally failed.

"Ugh… I'll tell you later on today…" Nate let out a big yawn, scanning for the clock on the nightstand. "Shit man! It's 4:00AM!!!"

"Yeah, no kidding," Cameron as well yawned before heading to Nate's closet to get the spare blankets and pillows he always used whenever he crashed for the night. "I was gonna tell you something as well, but that can wait as well."

"Is that all?"

"Nah, I also came here cuz I couldn't stand my parents still yelling at me and in their room _en français_. Heh, I think they are just trying to come up with a punishment for me." Cameron rolled out the blankets after the guest airbed was fully inflated.

"Uh, wouldn't that get you into more trouble dude?" Nate slightly opened the curtain to be sure that nothing was in the backyard… although he swore that for some reason, his eyes captured a silhouette figure nearby.

"Nah, they wouldn't notice if I was gone anyways."

"Riiiggghhhhttttt…" Nate was about to shut the blinds when he could've sworn that he saw the silhouette figure giving him a thumbs-up and then disappearing up into the sky with a blue stream of light.

"Mega Man?" Nate softly said to himself before shutting the blinds. He needed the sleep, but will probably end up being a nap since he still hasn't done his homework. Oh how he wished that his parents would let him skip school.

_Yeah, like that'll ever happen in my lifetime… _

"What the hell happened in here lil' bro?" The brunet turned around to see Claire at the doorway… staring confusingly at the broken clay sculpture thingy... and at the boomerang Quick Man left behind.

"Ummm… uhhhhh…"

_Oh shhhiiiiittttt…_

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_Don't forget to review :-) I'll try to get the next chapter out during the three-day weekend. And suggestions are always welcomed!!!_


	8. To Tell the Truth

**Author's Note: **Yeeeessssss!!! I'm finally back!!! And I know it's been a _really, really, really long time _since the last update, but unfortunately life has caught up with me from the last update back in February until right now. _**I deeply apologize**_ for leaving everyone hanging from the last update and not giving a sign that I have indeed not fallen off the face of the Earth. Since it's summer, I will have more time to focus updating this story and giving it the attention deserves, despite having summer school. So once again, I apologize for the time it took to finally update the story and I sincerely hope you will continue reading this fic ;-)

_So now onto Chapter 8!!! Enjoy!!!_

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"Oh, um… that would be my boomerang on the floor there, Claire." Nate was relieved when Cameron saved him from awkwardly explaining what just happened. "Yeah, we were messing around with it… and I… uh— accidentally destroyed Nate's… er, clay thingamajig there…"

At first, Claire leered at the two boys with much suspicion. "I see…" But not wanting her mind to think since she was exhausted, the older Figueroa decided to let it go and just buy into the story. However, she did have an urge to just ask one more question. "Care to explain why there's a ton of smoke coming out from the shattered art piece?"

"Uh, well you see…" Nate decided to jump in. "It was getting _sooo_ cold in here and closing the window wasn't enough so we decided to… er— have a lil' bonfire going on in here." The brunet tried his best to keep eye contact with his older sister, as she was pretty good at telling whether her little brother was lying or not… damn growing up all these years.

_Christ, that was the best excuse I can come up with? Jeez my skills are starting to come down a notch..._

Claire, deciding that she really doesn't want to deal with the utter weirdness going on in her brother's room, just decided to wave it off and go back to sleep. "_Riiiggghhhttt_… anyways… I'm going back to sleep. I just heard a lot of noise and I wanted to be sure no weird shit was going on in here… like it hasn't already… And put that fire out because your stupidity might start a fire…"

"Ugh, whatever…" Nate lamely replied as he closed the door. "Phew, that was close."

"Yeah, what great bullshitting abilities you have," Cameron chortled as Nate threw a pillow at him.

"Dude… shut up!" Nate rolled his eyes as he began to dig his way into bed, getting comfy into the comforters while turning off the lamp on the nightstand. "Yo, Cameron?"

"Watup?"

"Just wanted to say… that even though it really wasn't exactly intended for you to do it tonight, _thanks_ for trying to save me."

"No probs dude," the blond happily replied as he shuffled around to find the perfect sleeping position. "What are best bros for?"

"Heh… yeah…" Nate smiled. However, he was still wide-awake, staring into the ceiling and at times glimpsed at the window, recalling tonight's events. "Heh, crazy-ass night the three of us had earlier, huh?" Nate lightly chuckled at Cameron, but got no response as he heard some soft snoring escaping from the blonde's mouth.

_Yup, he's definitely knocked the eff out…_

And with that, Nate lay on his side and soon drifted off to sleep as well, knowing that he will need to wake up in a few hours to finish off his so-called homework.

---

* * *

Somewhere in an undisclosed location, an injured Metal Man unhurriedly walked his beat up ironclad body down a long and dark concrete corridor, leading towards his superior's office. The droid grumbled, as he knew trouble would be looming for him once he stepped through the double doors ahead of him. In addition, Air Man was supposed to go to the office as well, but due to the extensive damage from tonight's earlier battle in North Hollywood, the big blue and yellow robot was stuck at repair center within the compound.

Not a moment too soon, Metal Man arrived in front of the ominous steel plated double doors. He awaited for a few moments before the steel doors slid open, finally revealing yet another dark, but grand sized room. As the robot walked in, he noted the numerous whirring machines, computers, screens, and model bots that lined up the walls. He was pretty delved into a cold, sterile, and dark ambiance

"I see it took you long enough to arrive here…" A mysterious figure spoke with a thick German accent; sitting behind a desk in an elaborate executive chair amongst the Cimmerian shade, save for the lit and sizable screen behind the chair, displaying some sort of CAD design for another robot.

Metal Man simply sighed as he replied, "My apologies Dr. Wi—"

"SILENCE!!!" The mysterious being rose to his feet, slamming his fist onto the desk, the impact echoing around the room. "What did I say about mentioning your superior's name out loud?!? Even if we are in private?!?"

Metal Man cringed at the screeching voice filling up the hollow room. Deciding to play it smart, the robot remained silent as he looked down onto the floor, not daring to stare directly into the mysterious person's eyes… like he can see them anyways…

"Now then…" The figure calmly spoke as he sat back down into the big chair, reclining back a bit before typing onto the elaborate keyboard that lay before him. "Where is your assigned partner, Air Man?"

"He's at the repair center, sir…" Metal Man hastily replied, hoping to get out of the room as soon as possible with little questioning from his superior.

"And… why is that?" An expected response came from the desk.

"Because… because…" The red, black, and yellow clad robot tried to formulate the best possible reply without any retribution from the one at the desk. "Another robot attacked us with the aid of another human…"

"_Wait_ a minute…" The shrouded being leered a bit forward, as if he were trying to get a closer look at Metal Man. "Did you say, _with the aid of another human_?"

The robot simply nodded.

"And _who_ is this robot that attacked you?"

"I believe his name was Mega Man…" Metal Man kept his gaze on the floor.

"Mega Man, huh…" Finger tapping can be heard from the desk. "And a human aid… my goodness… hehehehe…" A demonic cackle ensued right after.

Metal Man just stood in place where he's been ever since he entered. He was confused on what the hilarity of the situation could be.

"I created you guys to be the most _advanced_ and _powerful_ robots ever…" The mysterious figure rose from his seat, now walking around the desk and slowly sauntered towards Metal Man. "I created you guys to _easily_ surpass any other robots created out there in skill, design, and intelligence… but yet…"

The anonymous one suddenly stopped in his track, just shy of being revealed under a lit part of the room. The droid could only make out a white lab coat and the silhouette of two clumps of hair coming from the sides of his superior's head. Certainly the halt of the advancement made Metal Man flinch just a teeny-tiny-bit, very out of the ordinary.

"You guys just seem to… _**FAIL ME**_ EVERY TIME!!!" The abrupt shout bounced off the walls, creating an atmosphere of terror and tension.

Metal Man still stared onto the floor, knowing it was not wise to interrupt his superior… but yet he did anyways.

"But sir, I—"

"SILENCE!!!" The mysterious one's voice started to become hoarse with all of the yelling he's done. "I must say Metal Man… I _expected_ more out of you… I was expecting you to be one of my top robots in aiding me with my world domination scheme…" The man began to walk back towards the desk. "But how can that even happen if you can't even do _your _part?!? Your part in making sure that the Eastside of the Valley was our territory?!? If we can't even take over the Valley and eventually all of Los Angeles, how can we take over the entire world that will be filled with intellectuals and robots that will aid in a new generation of society?!?"

Metal Man simply didn't have a response as he just stood there in place, continuing to gaze upon the linoleum floor.

"Now this is what's going to happen…" The figure resumed his seat, folding his hands on the desk once again. "I am going to give you another chance to redeem yourself... but I stress _one more chance_…"

Metal Man simply nodded.

"Now… if you screw this plan up one more time…" He turned his seat around to face the large screen on the wall. "Considered yourself scrapped…"

Though Metal Man was just a robot, the thought of being scrapped by his superior was even frightening to the normally tough droid. "Yes… sir…" he meekly replied.

"Now get out of my sight…" The man gestured his hand for Metal Man to leave his office immediately, to which the droid did just that. After hearing the sounds of the doors slamming shut, he began to type hastily on the keyboard for a few seconds until a picture of the familiar blue robot, along with his creator, appeared on the screen.

"Mega Man…"

---

* * *

The next day proved to be a horrible one for Nate. Only attaining at most one hour of sleep in order to finish his homework, the brunet was like a mindless zombie, getting through the school day without saying much and consistently falling asleep in class, earning him trouble with his Honors Trig teacher. In addition, he fell asleep onto his lunch, earning him laughs from the others and a nice tomato sauce stain on one of his favorite Stüssy shirts.

Now back at home with Cameron and Judy, the three were going to talk about how Nate was planning his seventeenth birthday party. However, Cameron decided to bring up a subject that Nate has been evading as of late.

"So Nate… aren't you gonna finally tell us who this Quick Man dude is?" Cameron was browsing the Internet on Nate's iMac, while Judy sprawled on the bed, reading the latest issue of _Cosmopolitan_.

The brunet immediately halted changing his shirt in his walk-in closet when he heard the familiar name fly into his mind.

"Yeah Nate, tell us…" Judy was eager to know as well ever since Cameron told her everything during lunch.

Putting on a baby blue Hurley shirt, he walked back into the bedroom where he now had a dude and a chick staring at him with their undivided attention, waiting for some sort of explanation from the brunet.

"What?" Nate spoke as he glanced back at his two best friends.

"Dude, we're wait-inggggggg…" Cameron hummed as he closed the browser on the computer.

Nate exasperatedly sighed as he took a seat on the beanbag couch next to the bed. He rubbed his hands over his face as if telling the story was going to be an extraordinarily difficult task to do.

_Well, it is gonna be difficult!!! _The brunet rolled his eyes at his thoughts. _I just don't know why…_

"Well…" Nate took another long, dramatic pause, trying to formulate how he is going to story tell today.

"Well _what_?" Judy started to become slightly impatient.

"Whoa, chill out Cosmo girl!" Cameron humorously told Judy, earning laughs from all parties in the room. "Let Nate take his time… it must be a long and traumatic experience for him…"

_Well, I don't know if 'traumatic' would be the word… though it's pretty damn near the same magnitude… _

"Anyways…" Nate tried to play off what Cameron said in a humorous fashion, "I guess I can tell you about this… er… _Quick Man_… dude…" He tried not to cringe his face at a particular name.

"Go on…" Judy encourage, setting her magazine down to give her full attention.

"Okay… here it goes…" Nate took another deep breath. Oh how he wishes to stop being overdramatic about this. "So a couple of days ago, I was boarding back home on Ventura Blvd. And then some old geezer who can't drive for his life almost ran me over and I landed hard onto the concrete with my board zipping into the alley."

"Hahahahaha!!!" Cameron and Judy couldn't help but to bust out in laughter.

"You _would_!!!" Cameron said in-between chortles.

"For sure!!!" Judy added her two-cents.

Nate flushed red for a good few seconds before clearing his throat. "Do you guys wanna hear the story or what?"

"Okay, okay, my bad dude, my bad…" Cameron slowly ceased his chuckles.

"Yeah, sorry Nate, continue on…" Judy motioned for the brunet to continue.

"Anyways, before I was _sooo _rudely interrupted…" A smirk was painted onto Nate's face, earning the eye-roll from his two friends. "I went into the alley to retrieve my board. And then, that's when I saw… _it_…" Nate paused for a few moments as the image of that exact day began to instantly replay in his head all over again.

"Saw what?" Cameron was eager to know, moving his hands around to get the brunet to continue.

"A huge, red, black, and yellow clad robot sitting in the corner, clutching onto my skateboard like a hostage…"

"Did the board hit the robot you saw?" Judy inquired.

"I don't know…" Nate replied. "But I knew for sure that he was hella pissed off because he began to stalk towards me when I tried to ask for my board back, growling a bit in the process…"

"And then…" Cameron requested.

"And then it was basically a chase…" Nate rubbed his calves a bit, remembering how sore they were after the long chase. "The damn robot chased me for a good amount of blocks on Ventura until White Oak. And I also had to run across traffic since the light was red on White Oak. Nearly got hit by several cars on Ventura."

Cameron and Judy stared at Nate with wide-eyes, not comprehending on what just happened to their friend a few days ago.

"And that's not all… Eventually I had to hide behind a car and let Quick Man pass me by. I thought it worked so I went back home, but then guess what?"

"He knew where you lived?" Cameron answered rather quickly, since he did see part deux of their encounter.

"Unfortunately… yeah…" Nate sighed. "I was gonna take a nap and then I landed on some hunk of metal on my bed. And what gets worse is that he almost tried to ki—… kil—… _kill_ me…"

"No... freakin'… way…" Judy's jaw dropped opened. "Dude, and I thought last night's event was a close call.

"Nah, it's true Judes…" Cameron interjected. "Last night, I found Nate being throttled to death by that Quick Man robot last night.

"Holy shit…" was all that the Wu could peep out.

"Yup… and I got to see the throttling three times too…" Nate shook his head side-to-side in discontent.

"Wait, _three _times?" Cameron was surprised, thinking it was just that one time.

"Yeah… remember the time you found me on the floor after you went to the bathroom yesterday at school?"

Cameron shook his head in agreement.

"Yup… that was the second time… and you just happened to see the third round…"

The room fell silent for a moment as the De La Loire and Wu tried to absorb what they've just heard from the Figueroa.

"Dude Nate… we gotta do something about this…" Cameron's tone became serious, appropriate for the moment.

"No kidding…" Nate replied, but not before remembering what he also forgot to mention. "Oh yeah, and this was from the encounter I had with Quick Man at school…" He began to dig around under the bed, under the curious eyes of both Cameron and Judy. After a few more moments, Nate finally pulled out the familiar yellow boomerangs of a particular someone.

"Holy shit!" Judy exclaimed as she pointed at the object. "Those are the things you used to take out that one robot with the fan!"

"Yup…" was all Nate could utter.

"Dude… what the hell are we getting ourselves into?" Cameron started to become worry, which was not usually within his nature. However, who could blame him, considering the fact that they are probably now listed as enemies against possibly a group of these things.

"Well—"

_**DING**_

Before Nate could reply to the question, the Mail application notified everyone that a new e-mail has arrived. What was particularly special about it was where it came from.

"Perfect…" Nate double clicked on the e-mail and began to peruse.

"What do you mean by that?" Judy wondered.

"Perfect in the fact that..." Nate turned around so that he was facing his friends, a smile painted on his face. "Dr. Thomas Light could help us out with our robotic problems."

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_Don't forget to review ;-) _


	9. Meeting up with Dr Thomas Light

**Author's Note: **Thanks to a certain review or two, the hiatus has been lifted and the passion to continue has rekindled in me once again =)

_Enjoy Chapter 9! Don't forget to review please! Feedbacks are encouraged and they encourage me to keep on going!_

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"Who's Dr. Thomas Light?" Cameron scratched the back of his head as his mind went through some sort of preponderance, as if he was trying to envision the man his best friend had mentioned earlier.

"He's some dude, or rather, _professor_…" Nate cleared his throat, correcting himself, as he wanted to make the man that could potentially hold the key to his robot problems sound extremely important, though no one said he wasn't. "He's a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCLA."

"UCLA? No surprise…" Judy spoke matter-of-factly… especially since that's one of her choices for college. That… and along with USC, UC Irvine, and UC San Diego.

"Yup… and I remember hearing his name on TV while watching the news on Channel 7."

_Right before that damn robot surprised the hell outta me at the family room window…_

Cameron sarcastically scoffed at the last few words in Nate's sentence. "Pfffttt… since when did you watch the news?"

The brunette rolled his eyes. "When I've decided to grow a brain… a task you seem to lack proficiency in…" Nate smirked as the spiky blonde glowered, towering above him… but only since his best friend was slightly taller than him… and the fact that Nate was currently sitting down in the swivel chair and Cameron was standing upright.

"Anyways…" Judy rolled her eyes at the _intimidation contest _going on in front of the computer. "What does the e-mail say? Anything good."

"Right, the e-mail…" The Figueroa shifted his posture so that his back was perfectly straight. He felt he sounded better when sitting like such. He began to read the following:

—

_Dear Mr. Figueroa, _

_First, I'd like to give you my utmost gratitude for e-mailing me about your curiosity in robots and their impact in the human world. It's a very exciting time in this field of research with high hopes for a more efficient and positive future._

_—  
_

All three teenagers snorted and rolled their eyes at the seemingly clichéd remark.

—

_I would be delighted in providing some assistance for your project with an interview. However, as I've previously mentioned that this is an exciting time in the field, my schedule is currently swamped and—_

"Hmmph, well that was certainly no help!" Cameron spoke his mind, cutting of Nate in the process.

"Dude, I wasn't finished reading…" Nate stated rather dryly, furrowing his eyebrows in displeasure.

"Oh…"

"Dude, Cameron, you always do that…" Judy pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Let Nate finish reading already…"

"Jeez, okay okay. Sor-ry…" the De La Loire's voice was rather defensive.

"Okay, anyways…" Nate cleared is voice as he resumed:

—

—_And I can schedule an appointment for you to meet with me tomorrow, __**Saturday at 11am, **__on the UCLA Campus in my office. If you can make the appointment, please call me immediately at 310.555.0301. If I don't answer, please leave a message in my voicemail. _

_Once again, I thank you for your interest in the field of robotics. _

—

_Dr. Thomas Light _

_Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering_

_Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science_

_University of California, Los Angeles _

_310.555.0301_

_light AT ee DOT ucla DOT edu_

—

"So Saturday at 11…" Judy repeated the appointment time from the e-mail.

"Yup…" Nate softly retorted, wrapping his hands behind his head.

"So… you're gonna go?" Cameron stated the question that was in fact on everyone's mind.

"Well… I mean—… I… guess so…" Nate answered, hesitation present in his voice. "I mean… this guy is probably the only one that can help me out right now…"

After the Figueroa finished speaking, the room suddenly fell awfully silent, save for the sprinklers that can be heard from the backyard, watering the garden by the swimming pool. Each teen either looked off into space within deep contemplation, or just fidgeted around, trying to find something to ogle at instead of being part of the now awkward situation.

"C—… can I go with you…?" Judy suddenly broke the room's dead aura. "I mean… you'll need some kind of moral support when you go over there and explain to Dr. Light your situation." The Wu managed to beam out a smile. "Besides… I could always use an informal campus tour of UCLA, hahaha."

"Yeah, count me in too, dude!" Cameron jumped onto the bandwagon. "I could get my mom to take us there and then bring us home. Ah dude, we should chill around Westwood or something since we'll be down there anyways!"

As Nate stared at his two cheerful friends, he couldn't help but to release a smile as well.

_How did I ever manage to get two of the most awesome-est best friends in the world?_

"Thanks Judes… thanks Cameron… thank you guys for the support…"

_As long as I have those two at my side… I can take on anything! Bring it on you damn androids! _

Picking up his cell phone, Nate dialed the number given in the e-mail. Ringing four times, the call led to Dr. Light's voicemail box. After the beep, the shaggy-haired brunette left the following:

"Hello, Dr. Light. My name is Nathan Figueroa and I'm the one who sent you an e-mail in regards of a possible interview in the subject of robots and its impact on humans. I just wanted to let you know that I am available at 11am tomorrow and it would be great to meet up with you for the interview. If you can either give me a call back or an e-mail, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and have a wonderful afternoon."

—

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The next day on a bright, beautiful, and mild Saturday morning, Nate, Judy, and Cameron hopped out of the De La Loire's white Mercedes ML350 SUV that Cameron's mom, Suzanne, drove. Looking around the vicinity of the Westwood Plaza turnaround, they took in the sights of buildings and trees and grassy knolls and students and faculty walking around, deciding to chill on campus on a Saturday.

"Merci, Madame De La Loire," Nate sheepishly waved to the blonde woman of 45 years of age in the driver's seat.

"Pas de problème, Nate!" Suzanne replied in a genuine French accent. "You guys have fun!"

"Maman..." Cameron closed the passenger side door before his mom would take off. "Rencontrez-nous ici après je vous appelle."

"Okay, mon fils. Bon, je vais faire des magasins à Beverly Hills. Bye and be careful!"

"Bye..." Cameron waved off as his mom drove into the turnaround, heading back towards Wilshire for Beverly Hills. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well…" Nate took out the piece of paper he printed out that morning. It was the most recent e-mail Dr. Light had sent him. "It says to go to Boelter Hall and his office is located in Boelter 6739C."

"Boelter Hall it is, then…"

"Oh, um…" Judy interrupted, causing the group to stop walking towards their intended destination. "Can we take the long way around? I wanna see more of the campus."

"Oh God, really now?" Cameron snorted.

"Well…" Nate took out his phone and looked at the time. It only read 10:15am. "We could, since we have more than forty-minutes to kill. Also, Dr. Light did state in his e-mail that he might run a bit late since he'll be coming from a conference meeting with the department."

"Sweet!" Judy face glowed with excitement.

"I guess…" Cameron conceded.

For about the forty minutes they had to spare, the trio was able to sample a bit of what college campus life was all about. They saw a variety of notable features, including the bruin bear statue, Bruin Plaza, the various brick façade buildings around campus, Ackerman Union, and seeing college students taking advantage of the grassy knolls and the perfect weather Southern California was able to offer during wintertime, including playing ultimate Frisbee, and reading and lounging around. They also noticed the extraordinarily amount of students heading to the library, hearing how it was the final weekend before finals week.

"I can totally see myself pulling all-nighters at the library…" Judy dreamily retorted out, causing her two male friends to raise their eyebrow.

"Riiiggghhhttt…"

"Shut up, Cameron!" Judy swung her mini-purse towards said dude.

"Alright…" Nate interrupted. "We should make our way to Boelter Hall. It's 11am."

"Right…" his two friends replied in the affirmative.

Thankfully, the signs were able to guide the trio to Boelter Hall, which was quite a bit of distance away from where they were standing. At about 11:10, a Boelter Hall Engineering sign block greeted them. Opening the glass doors, they stepped inside and made their way down the linoleum-tiled hall, their footsteps echoed off the walls with each step as the fluorescent lights shone on them. They noted along the way of the many different displays of engineering related items, including computers and robots.

_Hmmm… interesting… _

A particular display caught Nate's eyes as two familiar robots he saw on TV were right in front of him, though they were just models of the original robots created.

"Rock and Roll…" Nate began to peruse the snipped out article from the _Los Angeles Times _affixed on a corkboard next to the models. "Dr. Thomas Light…"

"Whoa dude…" Cameron gazed in awe at the robots, one featuring long blonde locks and another with short and spiky brunette hair. "They look so… real…"

"That's the point, Einstein…" Judy stepped next to Cameron, herself taking in the sight of the robots.

"These were the same robots I saw on TV along with Dr. Light…" Nate spoke after reading the article. "Rock and Roll."

"Interesting names for robots…" the spiky blonde began to take much interest at the blonde robot. "Dude… for a robot… she's pretty hot. The one named Roll."

"Aww, I think Cam's got a crush on a robot. How cute…" the Wu smirked at the glare she received.

"Shut… up…"

Nate rolled his eyes as the two continued to bicker. Luckily, his chocolate-toned eyes caught a board displaying the various faculty offices located in the hall.

"Let's see… Thomas Light… Thomas Light…" his eyes began to scan the different white-coated letters listed. "Aha! Dr. Thomas Light, 6739C, 3rd floor." He then turned back towards his friends, who were still ridiculously bickering about Cameron's _crush_ on Roll. "Yo Cameron! Judes! Come on, we got to head up to the third floor."

"Cool… anything to get Cameron away from this robot…" Judy and Nate made their way to the elevator, but noticed that a part of their trio was missing. "Cameron?"

"Oh crap!" Cameron snapped out of his gawking of Roll and made his way to where his friends were.

**

* * *

**

"Here we are…" Nate read aloud the nameplate affixed onto the door. "Thomas Light."

"Is he here, yet?" Judy said aloud what was on everyone's mind at the moment.

"Let's see..." Cameron knocked on the wooden door a few times. When no response was given after about ten seconds, the blonde raised his fist to knock one more time, until—

"Hello…" the door opened rather quickly, revealing an old man in about his late sixties to early seventies, dressed in a white lab coat over his business attire, complete with a blue tie with white polka dots. He had a somewhat portly frame, complete with black bushy eyebrows, white-coated hair, and a distinctively long and fluffy looking white beard surrounding the lower part of his face. "Can I help you?"

Cameron and Judy stared wide-eyed at the old man for a few seconds before turning their eyes onto Nate, who is the one that wanted to see the doctor.

_This is the old dude I saw on TV…_

"H— hi… Dr. Light?" Nate wasn't exactly great with meeting new people, especially those that were a lot older and very likely more intelligent than him. Starting to sweat just a little bit and his face starting to become slightly flushed, he continued. "I— I'm Nathan Fig— Figueroa. I— I'm the one who e-mailed ab— about interviewing y— you in r— regards to ro— robots and humans."

_Good Lord, finally got that out…_

Initially, the old man looked at Nate as if he had no idea what he was talking about and was just there to waste his time. However, the professor's frown turned into a genuine smile as he suddenly recalled what the Figueroa was talking about. "Oh yes, that's right. Nathan Figueroa… from Reseda High, right?"

_Oh thank God, he remembers the e-mails… _

"Yes sir, that's correct."

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Dr. Thomas Light," the old man stuck out his hand, to which Nate firmly shook it in greeting.

"Oh, and Dr. Light…" Nate took a brief gander at his friends by his sides. "These are my friends, Cameron De La Loire and Judy Wu."

"Pleasure," Dr. Light shook the hands of the other two teenagers.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Cameron nodded with a smile.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Judy added in a curtsy along with a handshake.

"Please, please…" Dr. Light opened the door wider and he made a gesture for the teenagers to come into his small yet cozy office. "Please come in and make yourselves comfortable."

"Thank you very much," Nate nodded as he and his friends took their seats in the comfortable leather chairs in front of Dr. Light's desk. He noted the many awards and recognitions affixed onto the walls, all nicely framed, and giving off an aura that Thomas Light had certainly accomplished so much in his lifetime. In addition, his eyes landed on a particular picture of Dr. Light… with his robots, Rock and Roll.

"Anyways…" Dr. Light typed on his keyboard for a few seconds before going under his desk and pulling out three bottles of water. He proceeded to hand them out to his guests.

"Ohhhh, Fiji water!" Cameron happily began to drink the water. "Thank you very much!"

"You're absolutely welcome!" Dr. Light simply chuckled. "Now Nathan, I must say once again that I am pleased that you are interested in the field of robotics."

_Yeah… right…_

"Mmmhmmm…" Nate simply nodded in the affirmative. "Oh and please, call me _Nate_."

"Alright, Nate…" the bearded man shook his head. "Before I begin, I was just curious on how you were able to find me as a choice for your interview?"

"Well…" Nate opened the bottle of water, taking a quick swig of it before continuing. "I recall seeing a report about you on Channel 7 on you winning the Nobel Prize in Physics… and who better than to interview someone who knows a bit on robots than someone who has won a Nobel Prize on it."

"Oh gosh…" Dr. Light seemed to blush a bit on his accomplishment. "I mean, it really wasn't anything major. My mission in my research… and well, pretty much in life… is to design and create robots that would be beneficial to human society. And hopefully one day… they can be just like humans and be able to integrate into society without any prejudice or being second-class…"

"Mmhmmm…" Nate took out a notepad he'd brought with him and began to write his so-called _notes_. "And by prejudice, do you mean with all of the recent controversy that's been occurring with robots?"

"Recent controversy?" Cameron seemed to be bewildered by the subject.

"Your friend is talking about what's been happening in the Eastern San Fernando Valley as of late," Dr. Light readjusted his posture in his expensive leather swivel chair. "I believe the latest one happened in a warehouse off of San Fernando Road in Pacoima."

"Was anyone hurt?" the spiky blonde seemed more interested.

"No, but accusations have already been pinpointed at robots," Dr. Light sighed, flipping through some stack of papers on his desk. "They've been prime targets for being the scapegoats as of late, including robotic-scientists. Instead of blaming the real perpetrators, people today find it so easily to blame non-humans."

"Dr. Light…" Nate spoke, some firm seriousness in his tone. "Is there any possibility for robots to potentially harm humans?"

Judy decided to attach a supplementary question to Nate's. "And also, isn't there a law amongst robot designers or something saying that robots cannot inflict harm human beings for any reason whatsoever?"

"Well Nate and Judy…" Dr. Light laid his elbows on the table so that he could get a better view of his guests. "According to Isaac Asimov's Robotic Theory, there are three fundamental laws that robots and their designers must adhere to before they are brought into the human public sphere. The first one is that: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. The second is: A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. And lastly: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second law."

"Whoa…" The information given by Dr. Light seemed to have overwhelmed Cameron a bit. "Quite complex there, doc. And you've totally recited the laws by heart."

"Well, I've been in the game for about 45 years or so…" Dr. Light stated matter-of-factly. "So it's pretty much embedded into my memory."

"Dr. Light, I'm guessing that these laws can be broken, correct?" Nate asked another question.

_Because I sure as hell know that Quick Man has definitely broken the first two laws… in addition to Metal Man and Air Man… can they all be connected?_

"As sad and very frightening to say… _yes_… they can be broken…" the white bearded professor took a swig of water. "We have a set of ethics as well in the robotic-scientific community as well, that I'm very certain 99.9-percent of scientists follows… but…" He began to gaze out of the window towards the cloudless blue skies the Santa Monica Mountains abutted. "There are some rogue scientists out there that God-knows what they're doing with robots and how to get around Asimov's laws."

The room then became quiet. Nate wasn't sure on what to ask next as Dr. Light continued to gaze out the window. The Figueroa was also questioning whether or not he should tell Dr. Light of the many fiascos he's been in over the last few days… especially with the last one in North Hollywood.

"And I should know…" Dr. Light unexpectedly spoke, sporting on a grave and serious facial façade. "I know one personally."

As if someone cued for the dramatic sound-effect, all three teenagers widened their eyes at the news being shared to them. They weren't quite certain why Dr. Light was pouring his heart out towards them, but this prompted Nate to do something that he thought he would've done later during this _interview_.

"Dr. Light…" Nate began to uncomfortably shift in his seat. "The reason why I came here to see you today is…" He took another deep breath, bracing himself for the events to follow on what he was going to say. "I'm currently a victim and a witness to the breaking of Asimov's Laws."

Once again, an ambiance of silence and tension began to fill the room. Dr. Light gawked at the shaggy brunette with much apprehension. Cameron and Judy held an expression of worry for their best friend, hoping that Dr. Light can be of assistance.

"A—… are you certain, Nate?" Dr. Light's voice became grave.

"I wouldn't be here otherwise…" the brunette answered matter-of-factly, though with solemn in his voice.

"It's true, doc…" Cameron stepped in, causing the professor to sway his attention at the blonde. "I've been a witness to my best friend almost getting killed by these things…"

"Oh my God…" Dr. Light put a hand over his mouth, a look of shock in his eyes.

"I can also vouch for this…" Judy joined in as well. "We were attacked at the North Hollywood Orange Line station a few nights ago by two robots, and Cameron almost died that night as well, sustaining a concussion…" Though usually strong, Judy thought the waterworks were about to kick in her eyes. "I thought I was gonna die that night too… Doctor, you've gotta help us!"

Said doctor pulled a piece of tissue out of the Kleenex box and handed it to Judy. "Have you approached the police about this?"

The three teenagers looked at each other with uncertainty and bewilderment.

"To be honest, Dr. Light…" Nate inhaled deeply, exhaling in attempt to clear his mind of all the past events starting to resurge in his thoughts. "I don't think having the LAPD will help... plus I'm deeply afraid of any reprimanding or retaliation. I mean I've already got three robots tailing my ass!" Nate nearly screamed at the top of his lungs, but was able to calm himself down. "Excuse my language, Doctor…"

"No offense taken…" Dr. Light managed to crack a smile amid the seriousness of the situation. "Well, remember when I said that I knew a rogue scientist personally?" The three teens nodded. "Well, I'm not saying it's him or anything or even making accusations, but perhaps your problems are connected to him."

"Who is he?" Nate demanded.

Dr. Light fidgeted a bit, seemingly afraid to say the name that was on the tip of his tongue. "God, I haven't mentioned his name in years… but he's my old partner too, so you must understand it's also sentimental as well…"

"Right…"

"His name is… Doctor Albert W. Wily…"

"Isn't he the professor that was fired from USC some years back?" Judy inquired, recalling doing a current event report related to the name given.

"Yes, that's him…" Dr. Light simply nodded in the affirmative, gazing up towards the ceiling, trying to recollect about his old comrade. "Before that, we were research partners here at UCLA. We even built our first prototype robot together," he pulled open a desk drawer, taking and revealing a photo of him and his partner next to a freshly built robot. The trio wasn't able to discern the color of the robot due to the photograph being black and white, depicting how long ago the photo was taken.

"The robot was named Proto Man, and we wanted to do great things modeling on Proto Man's architecture. But then… we had a huge disagreement…" Dr. Light shook his head side to side.

"What happened?" Judy asked.

"Well… let's just say we saw our visions of robots differently..." Dr. Light face contorted in disappointment. "He resigned here and took a position up at USC. However, a scandal had broken out about him trying to make robots in the militaristic orientation and was ultimately fired from the university. Ever since, no one has ever heard from him. He's pretty much the subject of rebuke and jokes in the robotic-scientist community."

While Dr. Light was finishing up his story, Nate examined the photo given to them with much scrutiny… especially at the man standing next to Dr. Light…

_God… he looks so familiar… his face…_

After a few more moments of examining, an epiphany struck the Figueroa.

_Oh… my… God… IT'S HIM!_

"Dr. Light!" Nate alarmed the others with the sudden volume and distress in his voice. "The man next to you in the picture… Dr. Wily… I've seen him!"

The three others in the room looked at Nate with much shock and confusion.

"Are… you… certain…?" the professor's voice became rather shaky.

"Yes…" Nate began to recollect about the old man that nearly ran him over a few days ago on Ventura Blvd. The clumps of gray hair sticking out to the sides and the thick German accent were certainly not forgetful to the Figueroa. "Is he about your age and speaks with a German accent?"

"Y— yes…" Dr. Light managed to answer.

"A few days ago, while I was skateboarding home, an old geezer, who looks like the dude in your picture, nearly ran me over on Ventura Blvd in an alleyway. And that's when I was chased for several blocks to my house by a robot, named Quick Man, that he probably left there."

"My God…" Dr. Light wasn't sure on how to think at the moment. "He, or whoever it was, left it there as a trap… probably for someone to go into the alley and never to be seen again." Getting up from his chair, he began to write on a piece of paper. "I unfortunately cannot continue this right now as I have another conference to attend, but this is something that needs to be addressed." He handed the paper to Nate, the address _22800 Plummer Street, Chatsworth_ was on it.

"You live in the Valley too?" Nate inquired.

"Yes, in Chatsworth," Dr. Light began to grab a few things for his conference. "I may have a few things that can possibly help you out with your problems. Can you and your friends come over around 8pm tonight?"

_Go over to his house? Is that wise?_

Nate spent a moment pondering about whether or not he should visit Dr. Light's private residence, but—

"Yes, we will!" Judy answered almost immediately.

_Geez, thanks Judy…_

The Wu simply shrugged at the glare she received.

"Great! I'll see you all tonight then!" Dr. Light proceeded to lead the teens out of his office and eventually outside in front of Boelter Hall.

"Thank you very much for your time, Dr. Light!" Nate graciously shook the professor's hand.

"It's my pleasure, Nate," Dr. Light simply smiled before he took off. "Oh… uh… Nate, Cameron, and Judy?"

"Yes?" the trio replied in unison.

"Please… be careful whenever you're outside… and be careful who you trust…" Dr. Light said with much warning before he took off.

_Well… that certainly didn't assuage my worries…_

As soon as the Doctor was out of sight, the three of them made their way back to the Westwood Plaza turnaround where they would meet Cameron's mom.

"You think this Dr. Light will be able to help us?" Cameron orally mused.

"Let's just hope so…" Nate shrugged. "Oh, and thanks for taking up his offer on behalf of all of us… Judes."

"What?" Judy said defensively. "Nate, you know this is the only guy that can help us. I mean, it would be best to rid of our problems immediately before we have another NoHo incident…"

Nate sighed as he conceded. "Yeah… you're right… thanks again… both of you…"

Cameron and Judy stopped in place, smiling as they put their arms around the Figueroa.

"Hey, what are friends for?" Cameron simply beamed. "But you know what? I'm craving for some ice cream cookie sandwiches."

"Oh my God! Let's go to Diddy Riese!" Judy excitedly jumped.

_OMNOMNOM!_

Nate was certainly craving for something sweet. "Hell yeah, let's go!"

—

**

* * *

**

_**Once again, please don't forget to review ;-) It would be super appreciated! **_


	10. The Sepulveda Pass Incident

**Author's Note: **Happy New Year Mega Man fans and readers alike. Yeah, yeah, I know what you're all thinking: "You're finally back?" Hahaha, yes I am, and of course I do sincerely apologize for being absent so long (I'm starting to sound like Dr. Wily with all these apologies… hahaha!), but since the end of Chapter 9, a lot of things just started to happen in life, whether it was with school/frat things or on a personal basis. Yes, I did finally graduate and obtained my bachelor's degree from the University of California, Riverside in June 2010, had some summer post-undergrad drama, took a month vacation in the Philippines, and I am now (temp) working full time for a company in Torrance. So as much as I hate to say this, updates may come about sparingly, but I'll do my best to stay as consistent as possible as a new chapter in life dawns upon me, but I refuse to give up my story-making abilities and such… and I refuse to give up video games, especially Mega Man =)

Despite the news back in October that Keiji Inafune has left Capcom =/ Nonetheless, I wish him the best in his future endeavours =)

* * *

Nate, Cameron, and Judy were happily munching on their sweet, delicious, and mouth-watering chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches they had purchased from Diddy Riese, a small yet extremely popular dessert eatery, especially with nearby UCLA students, located on 926 Broxton Avenue in Westwood. Right after having an informative visit with Dr. Thomas Light on the UCLA campus and before arriving at Diddy Riese, the trio decided to spend a few hours visiting and browsing at the many little boutiques Westwood had to offer. Aside from the bustling amount of pedestrian traffic that sprawled the sidewalks of this particular Los Angeles neighbourhood, one could not help to notice the increased amount of robots that are starting to make a presence in this part of the city. Ranging from personal assistants of the rich and famous, to simple helper and greeter robots in many of the retail establishments, there was no escaping Westwood without at least seeing one android.

Even at Diddy Riese, the one who put together the trio's ice cream sandwiches was indeed… a robot.

"Who knew robots could put together the most uber yummiest ice cream sandwiches ever?" Cameron mused out loud, devouring the white chocolate chip cookie sandwich with mint chocolate chip ice cream in between, obviously making a reference to the robot working behind the counter at Diddy Riese. "But, who knew?"

"Uhhh… maybe because it's more about _how_ they make the ice cream sandwiches rather than who puts it together…" Judy dryly replied with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, nibbling on her white chocolate macadamia nut cookie ice cream sandwich with cheesecake chunk ice cream in between. "Just sayin'…"

"Pssshhh, who asked you anyways?" the dirty blonde immaturely scoffed, sticking out his tongue towards the Wu.

"Oh yeah?" Judy fired back her own immature reply, a rarity for the group.

"Yeah!"

"Yeah?"

"Oh for God's sake you two, really?" Nate couldn't help but to lightly smack his forehead with his palm at the _elementary-school-kids-battle_ going on right next to him, trying to enjoy his chocolate chip cookie sandwich with cookie dough ice cream in between. Despite trying to swallow all the information Doctor Light had shared with the trio earlier, he was trying his hardest to enjoy the moment of trouble-free sugar bliss. "Come on… we have to think more about our current predicaments at hand."

"My bad, dude, my bad…" Cameron decided to withdraw from the immaturity contest between Judy and him. However, he managed to get one more chance to quickly stick out his tongue.

"Yeah, sorry Nate…" Judy stated her apology, glaring at Cameron at the same time. The three continued to munch on their ice cream sandwiches while lounging on some green plastic chairs, taking in the view of the long queue for Diddy Riese, snaking its way onto the sidewalk, and watching traffic whiz by on Broxton Avenue.

"Right…" Nate took in the last chunk of his cookie ice cream sandwich, indulging in the sweet goodness before moving onto more serious matters. He grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth, hoping he got every bit of cookie crumb and ice cream off of his face so he wouldn't look silly later on. Accomplishing that minor task, the brunette proceeded to dig into the pocket of his hoodie, pulling out a folded piece of paper. Making sure his hands were clean, he went ahead to unfold the piece of paper, with the words _22800 Plummer Street, Chatsworth _written on it.

"So… are we really serious about visiting Dr. Light tonight?" Cameron inquired as he saw his best friend examine the piece paper. "Despite Judy already _accepting_ the invitation for us with much haste?"

"Dude, shut up…" the Wu shot another icy cold glare towards the Frenchie blonde. "I mean, what are we gonna do? Just sit on our asses and chill until this crazy ass doctor and his demonic robots crash into our rooms and kills us in our sleep?"

The latter part of Judy's words did make Nate cringe and shiver just a little bit as he illustrated the thought in his head: Quick Man breaking through his window, using his signature golden boomerang, cleanly and coldly slicing Nate's throat as the brunette withers to the ground, unable to scream out in pain as Quick Man stares eye-to-eye with him, an evil grin glimmering from the corner his mouth with the old geezer known as _Dr. Wily_ cackling from behind until the Figueroa's demise.

_Dude, must I have a vivid imagination at this point in time?_

Nate shook his head side-to-side, purging out the vision of his last moment on this planet alive. "Judy's right. It may seem a bit… _awkward_… to visit some old dude's house…" Nate couldn't help but to let out a small chuckle and roll his eyes to the side. "But you, Judes, and I know that this old dude, Doctor Light, will definitely have the answers for us."

Cameron shook his head in comprehension. He understood and was definitely aware of the potential problems that could and _very well likely_, occur in the future. "Well… looks like it'll be another adventure for us tonight, hahaha."

"Yeah, hopefully it won't be as _action packed_ like back in NoHo," Judy sarcastically stated, earning a round of light-hearted chuckles from her two friends.

After the three finished up their ice cream sandwich cookies, they threw away their wrappers into the nearby trash receptacles. They got up and began to stroll up on Broxton, intending to go where the street ends at Le Conte Avenue where Mrs. De La Loire would pick the trio up after her shopping craze in Beverly Hills. Reaching the intersection, the trio awaited on the curb as Judy pressed the button to activate the crosswalk signal for them to cross the street. While waiting for the _walking man_ symbol, Nate couldn't help but stare up at the azure skies while he went into deep thought, trying to summarize what's been happening in his life for the last couple of days.

_Heh… dude, who knew that within the last few days, I'd be the prime target of some crazed robot, nearly fighting for my life at the NoHo station, and now meeting up with one of the most respected scientist in the robotics field and needing to go to his crib just to get some help? Pfffttt… _

Despite the grim tone of the situation, the Figueroa couldn't help but to roll his eyes and smile just a bit, hoping to at least brighten up his life at the moment, even though his life flashed before his eyes a couple of nights ago.

"Yo, Nate!" Said brunette was knocked out of his stupor when he heard the blonde's voice creep into his ears. He shook his head side-to-side as he was getting back into reality, seeing Cameron and Judy already beginning to cross the street.

"Dude, wait for me!"

* * *

"Oh grrreeeaaaattt..." Cameron sarcastically dragged out when he noticed the SUV his friends and mom were travelling in was beginning to slow down after passing the Moraga Drive exit near the Getty Museum, seeing all the brakelights from the cars in front of them. On their way back to the Valley, the trio plus Madame De La Loire had to travel on Interstate 405, also known as the San Diego Freeway or just _the 405 _as most Southern Californians say. The trip back included a ride through the Sepulveda Pass, which is one of the few places within the Los Angeles metropolitan area that contains unspoiled nature as motorists travel through the Santa Monica Mountains that separate the San Fernando Valley and the Los Angeles Basin. In addition, the pass is notorious for traffic with _Los Angelenos _travelling from the Westside to the Valley and back, even on Saturdays. "Of course there would be traffic here in the Sepulveda Pass."

"Well, it is the 405, dude…" Nate uttered matter-of-factly as he continued to gaze onto the few trees and many bushes that dotted the pass, including the few multi-million dollar houses that perched on top of the hills. He couldn't help but to grin when he saw the glare the blonde gave off at the corner of his eyes. "The 405 is always bad, even on Saturdays. Whether it's in the Valley or the Westside or even down in Orange County."

"But it's so nice here. I'd say it's a nice change of pace from where we were earlier," Judy pointed out the contrastable difference between the urban landscape of the L.A. Westside and the pass.

"You're friend does have a point, mon chou," Madame De La Loire added in her two cents. Seeing that they would be stuck in traffic for quite sometime, she was able to do some multitasking, including putting on some makeup by using the driver's side illuminated vanity mirror.

"Mais, je déteste traffic, mom…" Cameron kept on his whiny and immature voice, seeing minutes of his Saturday being wasted sitting in stop-and-go traffic, which ended up totalling to about a half-hour worth. As the freeway picked up speed, they noticed something else going on that kept freeway speed to a minimum.

"Ugh, construction… really?" Cameron smacked his forehead a bit as he saw all of the _CalTrans _(California Department of Transportation) workers, both humans and robots, doing construction activity along the centre divider of the freeway.

"They're working on putting a carpool lane through the Sepulveda Pass, mon chéri," Madame De La Loire responded to her son's complaining.

"Hmmmm…" Nate observed the construction activity, especially noting all of the robotic workers that made their way into working within a state department. In addition, he also noticed a peculiar shiny red, crystal-like object affixed to one of the traffic cones separating the construction zone from mainline traffic. However, before he was able to put more thought into what he saw, the SUV had just passed it and was left behind.

_Is it something they are using to… enhance… traffic cone ability? _

"It would help the 405 move faster, especially during commute time, I can imagine," Judy stated while sending a quick text to one of her friends.

"Pffffttt… I guess…" Cameron shrugged, just glad that they were finally moving at full speed as they passed the Skirball Center Drive off-ramp and the Skirball Cultural Center on their left side. The group was about to approach under the five-decade-old Mulholland Drive overpass, which soared several feet high above the 405 freeway until—

"What the heck is that?" Nate pointed above towards the bridge at what seemed to be like two silhouetted figures looking at them from above, their size being a bit too large for normal human beings.

"What's what?" Cameron tried looking at the direction where Nate was pointing. However, by the time he was able to take a view, the SUV had already gone under the soaring bridge and the flat, urbanized San Fernando Valley came into view.

"Are you talking about the view of home?" Judy tried to also figure out where the Figueroa was pointing.

"No, no, no," Nate shook his head side to side, seeming a bit paranoid and agitated that his friends had practically missed the obvious… or at least what should've been the obvious to them. "Did you see those things on top of the Mulholland bridge?"

"Uhhhh… no…" Cameron furrowed his eyebrows at his best friend, thinking he's gone crazy.

"Sorry, Nate. I wasn't paying attention," Judy shrugged in concession as she resumed her gaze outside the window.

The brunette couldn't do much but sigh, deciding to cease his efforts to prove his point. "Whatever…"

As the SUV approached the Ventura Blvd exit, a disturbing thought couldn't escape Nate's mind.

_Please don't let it be what I think they are…_

_

* * *

_

On top of the Mulholland Drive bridge that hovered high above the 405 freeway, two mysterious figures… or rather, androids… stood side by side, watching as motorists snake along the concrete roadway among the trees, shrubs, and hills that make up the Sepulveda Pass. Despite being high above, one can still hear the sound of concrete and rubberised tires making contact with each other along the road, emitting noise pollution up above towards the heavens, along with the smog that's characteristic of Los Angeles.

"Should we really be standing here out in the open space?" A somewhat short, but still sizable robot, dressed in white, yellow, and reddish-orange armour mused out loud. The green circular gem on his chest shined as the sun reflected upon it. In addition, as he stretched his arms over his head, the drills coming out of his wrists shone as well under the basking sun.

"It's okay…" the anonymous tall, blue, yellow, and grey trimmed being with broad shoulders softly replied to his compatriot's question. He rubbed the yellow dome-shaped glass on top of his head as he gazed below at traffic below, seeing if he can get the glare to reflect onto a poor sap below. "Mulholland is closed for earthquake retrofit repair, according to Doctor Wi—"

"Fool!" The one with the oddly made visor shielding his face hastily cut off his partner in mid-speech. "Remember NOT to speak of our superior's name in public. I heard Metal Man was almost scrapped because of that."

"Oh yeah…" the blue, yellow, and grey robot nodded in concurrence. "Anyways, did you remember to leave… _the surprise_… down below?"

A subtle yet sinister smile began to emerge on the corner of the other android's mouth. "You bet I did. Just… watch…" he used his drills to point out towards the road below, specifically towards the construction site where CalTrans was putting in the new carpool lanes. Only about less than a minute passed by until—

_**BOOM!**_

A sudden explosion rocked the 405 Freeway and the Sepulveda Pass at the construction site near the Skirball Center Drive exit as a stream of fire and spoke began to spew up towards the sky. Motorists from both directions suddenly slammed onto their brakes as fender bender after fender bender began to occur, creating a chain reaction of accidents. Screams from both human and robot construction workers added to the hysteria on the freeway as some who were close to the centre of the explosion, but were still alive, tried to escape from the fire and flying fragments that began to rain upon them. Some were even caught on fire by the powerful explosion, others trying to aid them to extinguish the flames off of their bodies. In others words: chaos had descended onto Interstate 405 and the Sepulveda Pass.

"Heh… nice job..." the blue, yellow, and grey trimmed android complemented his partner's work.

"It was simple, really..." the other robot replied, continuing to take in the pleasure of viewing the disaster happening below him. "Nothing too hard planting that crash bomb into one of those cones before it left maintenance yard. Used a powerful one too... pretty confident it will leave a hole on at least two lanes on that freeway below."

"Heh…" Turning around, the other robot began to walk towards the other side of the bridge. He was able to take in the view of the smoggy San Fernando Valley in the distance.

"Don't worry," the one who planted the crash bomb walked next to his compatriot. "That whole Valley will soon be ours."

* * *

At around 7:50pm, Nate, Cameron, and Judy were on their way towards Chatsworth where they would soon be at the residence of the famous Doctor Thomas Light. Luckily, Nate was able to convince his older sister to give his friends and him a ride, although the distance from Encino to Chatsworth is something to note, despite being in the same Valley.

"You're lucky that I'm just happening to go visit some friends up in Porter Ranch, otherwise I would so not be doing this right now," Claire made her point to Nate and his friends as they were all in the older Figueroa's Lexus, cruising northbound along Topanga Canyon Blvd.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Nate rolled his eyes, slightly slouching in his seat as his older sister continued to torture him in front of his friends.

"Dude, that was crazy that we were just in the Sepulveda Pass minutes before that explosion happened on the 405…" Cameron made a reference to the news they all heard about the explosion that occurred in the Sepulveda Pass earlier in the day, seeing the horrible images on TV as breaking news.

"Yeah, by the Skirball Center exit too…" Judy added in as well.

_Tell me about it…_

Nate mused to himself, extremely bothered that an explosion had occurred near the Mulholland bridge where he could've sworn that he saw two mysterious figures on top of the bridge. Especially since it was just minutes after they passed by.

_Could it be… who or what I think they were?_

Gingerly rubbing his chin, his mouth formed an O shape as he softly gasped, realising something else.

_Could that shiny red thing I saw… possibly be… a… __**bomb**__… of sorts?_

He shook his head side-to-side, not wanting to believe his assertions. However, scepticism did remain in his mind.

_This should be definitely something I ask Dr. Light about when we get there…_

The drive would soon not last much longer as they soon reached Plummer Street. Making a left, the street became a fairly narrow residential street as the neighbourhood started to become more rural-like, complete with equestrian trails running parallel on the sidewalks. Despite the darkness, one could tell that many of the houses in the area are equestrian properties as the houses also had horse stables on their property.

"Plummer Street, right?" Claire confirmed with her brother as she reached fork on the road, with the left turning into Valley Circle Blvd and the right continuing as Plummer, but as a narrow road not meant for general traffic to use.

"Yup…" Nate nodded in the affirmative, seeing the road they would have to enter.

_Damn, does this dude live on a ranch or estate or something?_

"Alright…" Claire veered towards the right as she continued to drive at about 5mph. Thankfully, the high-intensity discharge headlamps her car had was able to shed bright light onto the dark road as hardly any other lights were lit in the area, signifying they are quite away from the _typical _surroundings of the valley and more like out in the country. They could pretty much tell that the road was rising in elevation as they went up the Santa Susana Mountains foothill.

"Jeez, I wouldn't be surprised if Dr. Light lived on a big ass ranch or mansion or something like that," Cameron mused as he tried to gaze out the window, seeing only pitch black.

"Probably because he needs peace and quiet doing his research… or needing to get away from it," Judy decided to toss in. "It's so secluded here."

_Or probably use the seclusion to perhaps conduct secretive research? _

Nate could only reply to Judy's assertions in his mind. He was now having second thoughts about coming out here and if it was a really good idea. However, before he could pursue the thought any longer, he felt the car come to a complete stop.

"Looks like we're here…" Claire pointed out to all of her passengers as they stopped in front of a tall, modern-looking plexiglass gate with stainless steel framing, effectively marking the end of the line for Plummer Street.

"How do we get in?" Cameron asked, still staring in awe at the very peculiar yet interesting structure in front of the car.

"Shouldn't there be like a doorbell or intercom that we can ring in?" Judy suggested, trying to see if she can see one in the dark.

"There's one right there," Nate pointed out right after he heard his friend's suggestion. His older sister nodded when she saw what he was talking about. She drove the car up just a little bit more so that she was parallel with the intercom. Powering the driver's window down, Claire proceeded to stretch her arm out of the car and pressed the soft white-lit button on under the intercom speaker. A buzz sound emitted from the speaker until she released the pressure off of the button. A few seconds passed by with no response from the intercom.

"Is he home, yet?" Claire asked everyone in the car.

"Well, he asked us to come by his place at this time…" Nate shrugged as he began to wonder himself about why no one was answering.

"See? I told you it's a trap!" Cameron started to become more defensive, feeling as if they were all duped.

"Are you serious, Cameron?" Judy wanted to smack the paranoid blonde next to her really bad.

"Well, it's not _myyyyy _fault that we had to come here due to _someone _hastily taking the invitation," the blonde fired back as he and the Wu reengaged in their battle of wits.

"Well, _hello_ Cameron! We are in a lot of trouble right now!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"You guys!" Nate hastily turned around, exposing a facial expression of irritation and frustration at his best friends. "This is _seriously _not the ti—"

"_Hello? Hello?_ _Is someone there?_" Everyone in the car ceased at whatever they were doing as a familiar voice, well at least to the three teenagers, began to emit from the intercom. As if on cue, everyone suddenly turned their attention to Nate, implying that he is the one who must speak on their behalf. Taking a deep breath, he leaned a bit near the driver's side window so that his voice would project at the intercom.

"D— Dr. Light?" Nate's voice was a bit shaky at first, but was able to clear his voice before continuing. "It's Nate Figueroa from earlier today. You said to come over to your place at 8pm today?"

"_Ah, yes! You've arrived right on time,_" Dr. Light replied over the intercom. _"I'll have the front gate opened for you and have my assistants greet you at the front door._"

"Thank you very much, Doctor…" No later as Nate said his thanks on their behalf, the gate began to swing open away from them as whirring noises from the motor began to sound off. Claire continued to drive on the dark, brick-paved road as the way was now cleared for her. The road, or rather driveway, continued to climb in elevation as they had to drive through some twisty roads for about less than a minute until a house finally loomed into view.

"Jeez, finally…" Cameron sighed in relief when he saw the house up ahead. The Light residence was a modest yet posh Spanish villa-architecture home. One could not mistaken the style with the mission tile roofs, various arches on the exterior, many softly-lit outdoor lighting, a fountain adorning the centre of the circular-end of the driveway, and the many palm trees dotting the yard. "Looks like the Doc is living large here…"

"Such a nice place to be living and possibly do research…" Judy admired the surroundings she and the others were delved upon.

"Definitely a contrast from outside the gates…" Nate noted as the car kept going until they circled around the fountain to where the grand front doors lay ahead.

"Alright, last stop…" Claire put the car in park, unlocking the doors so that the trio can get out of the car. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. I'll give you a call."

"Okay, that's fine," Nate nodded as he stepped out of the door, closing his door.

"Laters, loser… hahaha!" Claire laughed as she began to drive back down hill to head for Porter Ranch.

"Ugh, whatever…" Nate rolled his eyes as he and his friends began to make their way to the front door, needing to climb several steps up to reach the white splashed front porch. "So… who wants to ring the doorbell?"

"Don't look at me…" Cameron suddenly turned his attention towards the front yard, gazing at the view of the Valley down below.

"Ugh, I guess I will," Judy said annoyingly. She was about to press the doorbell button until—

"Good evening!" The trio jumped in surprised as a girl's voice greeted their ears. The front doors opened very quickly, revealing a tall blonde woman and brunette dude in front of them.

"You guys must be Nate, Cameron, and Judy. Dr. Light has been expecting you," the brunette spoke towards the three.

"Y-yeah… that's right…" Nate managed to croak out for the three of them.

_Dude… are those the robots I saw on TV and at UCLA earli—_

"Oh, and excuse us. You're probably wondering who we are," the brunette smiled. "I'm Rock."

"And my name is Roll."

* * *

_Better chapters will be coming up! Just needed this as a warm up of sorts to get back into the mood of writing… so don't kill me! Don't forget to review =) _


	11. Casa de Light: PART I

**Author's Note: **First off, I apologize for the delay of the release of this chapter. I had intended this to be released some time ago, but life decided to happen =(

And also, I would like to give out my uber thanks those who took the time to review the last chapter. You all are just way too awesome! Especially with the spike in the amount of readers who read the last chapter =)

**Additional Author's Note: **To maximize your reading experience, may I suggest using Google Maps and Street View to check the locales in the story real time, especially with streetview? =)

**More Additional Author's Note: **I was asked how Cameron's last name, _De La Loire_, is pronounced, specifically the _Loire _part. It can be broken down as: lo-wah (_wah _as in _wash_. Just say it together really fast and you get the blonde's last name. Or you can just type it in with Google Translate and listen to the voice).

**Even more Additional Author's Note: **This was originally supposed to be a super long chapter… but… I really wanted to add more to the second half and I didn't want to keep you reader's out there waiting, so I have decided to release the first half right now and the second half should be done in two weeks max if anything =)

* * *

_Oh wow… it really is them…_

Nate couldn't believe that he and his friends had just journeyed from Encino to Chatsworth, went up a twisty road on Plummer, are several hundred feet high above the San Fernando Valley, and now were standing in front of Dr. Light's two famous robots that he saw on TV and as model displays at UCLA, live and in person, at the Light's own home in Chatsworth.

"Whoa…" Nate had to slightly tilt his head upward as the two robots he and his friends were standing right in front of were still taller than all three of the human beings present. "You two are Rock and Roll?"

"Like, for sure, hahaha," the blonde one named Roll, dressed in a red skirt with a navy blue Roxy top, replied in a very _valley girl-_esque tone. "Like, that's me, Roll."

"Anyways..." the brunette droid next to the blonde cleared his throat, wearing a grey Fox Head t-shirt and pair of black shorts. "Yes, we are the same robots that you've seen on TV and the ones you saw where Dr. Light does his academic research at UCLA."

"Cool..." Nate nodded in the affirmative, but the more he heard Rock talk, the more his mind… started to make some sort of connection.

_That voice… and then his eyes…_

Nate rolled his eyes when he just realised how he was musing about the brunette android.

_Wow Nate... you're falling for robots now, eh? _

"Please, come one in," Rock gestured the three teen guests to come on into the warmth of the grand foyer, complete with a decorative chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling. "Dr. Light is waiting for you guys—"

"Ahem…" Judy couldn't help but to interrupt Rock when he only said _guys_, despite she and Roll being in the same vicinity. It was something she still couldn't get away from as she did have two dudes for best friends.

"Oh, my bad, heh…" the brunette android couldn't help but to share a chuckle, putting a hand behind his head in embarrassment. "I should rephrase that: Dr. Light is waiting for you guys _and gals _down in the laboratory."

"Thanks," the Wu cracked a humorous smile.

"Yeah, you would, Judes…" Cameron managed to take a shot at Judy as all of them began to walk past the grand doorway into the foyer.

"Whatever…" Judy shrugged off the French blonde.

"Oh jeez, you two…" Nate shook his head side-to-side as he saw his best friends going at it again, this time at someone else's residence. He was about to step through the grand entry way until—

_**SWISH **_

_**SWISH**_

_**SWISH **_

"What was that?" Nate suddenly froze into place, swearing he heard a rustling noise coming from somewhere either on or adjacent to the property.

"What was _what_?" Cameron raised an eyebrow at the Figueroa.

"Hmmm…" Rock decided to heed to the brunette's worries by going outside to see if indeed someone or something had intruded upon the Light's property. Taking a few steps around the front yard, he diligently inspected the outside premises, looking for anything out of the ordinary aside from the grass, flowers, palm tress, lawn sculptures, and the fountain on the centre of the circular driveway by the stairs. After investigating for about a few minutes under the starry skies, he began to walk back towards the front entrance. "Nope, nothing out here, dude."

"See, Nate?" Judy began to pat him on the shoulder. "It's all in your mind."

"For once, I gotta agree with Judes here, dude…" Cameron put his hands on Nate's other shoulder. "And I can't believe I just said that."

_Hmmm… I guess it's just all in my mind… right?_

Inhaling the scented candle aroma of Dr. Light's residence, Nate deeply sighed as he nodded in the affirmative, realising that Rock and his friends are probably right and that he's just had way too much on his mind for the past few days. "Maybe you guys are right."

"Like, it's getting cold, everyone," Roll gestured for everyone to get inside the house before the warmth of the inside could escape even more. "Like, let's all go in."

Everyone complied with the blonde robot's command as she finally closed the front double doors.

Meanwhile, at a nearby bush just on the down slope of the Santa Susana Mountains on the other side of the metal fences that barred outside intruders from infiltrating the Light property, a certain red and yellow-cladded robot was hiding himself from view, the golden boomerang crescent on his forehead shining under the moonlit sky.

"Hehehe… you're ears certainly heard right… Nate…" the silhouetted-figure smiled, the whiteness of his teeth contrastingly differing with the rest of his unseen figure. "Don't count on me just suddenly disappearing from your life… I _will _make a surprise appearance very, very, very soon…"

* * *

"And, like, here's the kitchen," Roll pointed out to said room nearby as she decided to give her guests a quick tour of the house before seeing Dr. Light. The sizable kitchen was complete with Euro-style cabinetry, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and a semi-invisible electric cook top heating up a meal.

"Wow… this is a huge house…" Cameron whistled, as he looked up at the vaulted ceiling complete with soft recessed lighting. "Must've cost a fortune and more."

"Yeah, and it looks very nice and reminds me of an art gallery too," Judy pointed out to the many paintings, portraits, and interesting sculptures and artefacts that adorned the earth-toned walls. The dark hardwood floors they walked upon definitely looked custom-made and pricey.

"So anyways, like, where are you all from?" Roll decided to get acquainted with her guests even more as they continue to walk through the rest of the house to their intended destination.

"We're from Encino," Nate replied matter-of-factly.

"Like, oh my God! Like, no way!" the blonde robot started to sound very excited.

"Like, totally!" Judy imitated the _Valspeak _back, although she's guilty of having those _Valley Girl _moments as well.

"Like, oh my God! Encino is like, so bitchin'," Roll replied back, doing several _Hilary Banks-like _arm and hand gestures. "There's like, the Galleria, and like, Ventura Blvd, and like… other tubular stuff…"

Nate, Cameron, and Judy's jaws almost dropped onto the floor in bewilderment. They couldn't believe how much Roll was taking on the _Valley Girl _persona with so much heart.

"Oh my God, I feel like we've travelled back into the 80's…" Nate whispered to his two best friends, who gave a small but hearty chuckle, trying their best to stifle it as not to be rude to Roll. "I'm surprised she's not dressed for that decade. And isn't the Galleria in Sherman Oaks?"

"Yeah, but then it's close enough to home, right?" Judy shrugged, earning a couple of nods in the affirmative.

"Like, _totally_…" Cameron couldn't help but to input his two cents a la _Valley Girl _with a thumbs up.

"Roll, I think they get your enthusiasm about Encino…" Rock rolled his eyes, but managed to put a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Ugh, like, _bag your face_, Rock, like, okay?" Roll gave out a harrumph right before they reached the end of the hallway, stopping right in front of a blank wall.

Initially, the human trio just stood there quietly, not questioning why they were stopped in their tracks and just staring at nothing but the wall. However, as a couple of minutes passed by, Cameron's patience decided to halt as felt the need to ask why they were doing this.

"So... what are we doin—"

"You'll see…" Rock replied right before Cameron was able to finish, and just in time as the wall suddenly began to slide towards the right, revealing what looks to be the inside of an elevator.

"Let's all go in," Rock directed his guests to go on in right after he did. "This elevator will lead right into Dr. Light's lab."

_Hmmm…. A hidden lab after all… _

Nate mused to himself as he and the rest of the gang got into the fairly spacious elevator, the wall sliding back to close the door as the began their descent down below the ground.

_No one would've ever known by what we saw upstairs… totally throwing unsuspecting guests. _

As the elevator began to make its decent, everyone in the small square space kept to themselves, some looking either up at the ceiling, to the sides, or down on the floor as the soft whirring of the elevator motor can barely be heard, the dull and clichéd muzak playing through the speakers by the floor indicator display.

_Umm… awkward much? _

Luckily for them, the ride down didn't last any longer as the elevator came to a complete halt. The door began to slowly slide open on the side as a loud ding signified the party has reached their intended floor. As everyone stepped out of the confined space, the human trio froze into place, as they couldn't believe what they were now delved upon.

"Duuudddeee…" Nate drearily stated as he and his friends began to take into the huge and open area they were delved upon. Amid the busy activity of the laboratory with several robots engaging in several tasks, one could've sworn they were inside of an airport hangar down at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport). In the room, there were numerous industrial-sized fluorescent lamps suspended above the room with steel chains, metallic pylons and arches, concrete columns, exposed air conditioning ducts snaking around the ceiling, and concrete flooring with numerous colourful line markings painted all around, seemingly to mark boundaries and different directions for certain points in the lab. Overall a very industrious ambiance one might say.

"Welcome to Doctor Thomas Light's home research lab," Rock gestured his hand to point out to the rest of the metallic and bustling space of research work going on.

"_Home _Lab?" Cameron raised an eyebrow as he continued to stare around the room. He definitely took notice of the change from the cozy and warm atmosphere they were in just seconds ago. "Looks more like an airport hangar lab sorta-thingamajig… sort… of… deal…"

"Well, like, that's what the Doc calls it," Roll put a hand on her hip while doing several movements with her free hand.

"How can such a sizable room fit under here?" Judy definitely wanted answers at the moment.

"Well, we are several feet under the Santa Susana Moun—"

"Looks like they've arrived about 10.7 seconds earlier than expected..."

Everyone stopped at their tracks as they heard a low, conceiting, yet irritable voice coming from their right side. Looking at the direction of the voice, they saw a purple-clad, blue-eyed robot complete with a blue, upside down triangle gem on his forehead, approaching their direction.

"Dude… is that a clock on his body and alarm bells on his head?" Cameron whispered to his best friends. "Dude, it's a giant walking clock!"

"Shhh, he might hear you!" Judy replied in a hush manner. "But, you're right… he does look like a giant clock…"

"You know, you could've utilized those 8.5 seconds of whispered insults for something better…" Cameron and Judy stared wide-eyed at the purple robot, knowing they've been caught. "Just saying... Wasting time on useless things is such a tragedy, really."

"B— b— but…" the Frenchie blonde tried to utter something coherently, but failed to do so.

"Like, hi, Time Man!" Roll greeted the purple robot. "Like, meet our tubular guests here and like, don't scare them off, alright?"

Despite giving Cameron and Judy a mini-lecture on how to utilise time efficiently, Time Man still managed to put a half smile on his face and was able to squeeze time in his busy schedule to greet the three human guests. "My apologies: Hello, I'm Time Man."

"Uhhh… hi…" Judy managed to utter out as she and the De La Loire only managed to nod with a smile. Luckily, the Figueroa was able to avoid the brunt of the purple robot's ire.

"So, Time Man… what are you built to do?" Nate was brave enough to pose a question to the android, clearing his throat as he tried to sound intelligent, not wanting to feel the robot's annoyance. "Keeping time synchronised, or something in that nature?"

"Well, first off…" Time Man wrapped his arms over the clock on his chest cavity. "What is your name?"

_Oh crap, is he going to lecture me as well for wasting his time?_

"M— my name is Nate Figueroa…" said dude calmly replied to the robots questions.

"Well, Nate…" Time Man paused in his speech, as everyone gawked in awe at the droid to see how he would respond. Rock and Roll seemed to brace for impact, as they knew how the purple robot always responded to even the slightest dumbest thing. "I'm actually glad you've formulated an intellectual and informative question," Time Man responded as he put a hand on his hip and the other in an open palm position, closing his eyes with a smile.

"Dude…" Rock stared in awe. "I've never seen Time Man react so… nicely, especially towards people whom he's never met before."

"Anyways," Time Man cleared his throat. "To answer your question, Nate, I've been built by Dr. Light for the purposes of the study of time travel."

"Wow, time travel, eh?" Nate nodded in fascination. "Sounds very complex and mind-boggling."

"Indeed…" Time Man nodded with a rather smug smile. "Anyways, please excuse me. I must attend to the many tasks I must adhere to with such little time to waste."

Nate nodded and watched as the purple robot walked into another room within the huge hangar-like facility of a laboratory. "Well… that was interesting…"

"Well, like, he's not like totally bad once you get to know Time Man," Roll smiled as she and Rock gestured for their guests to continue to follow along. "Like, right this way you guys."

With a simple nod, the three human guests continue to follow their two robot guides within the laboratory, at times stopping in their tracks to closely scrutinize at the various research activity going on all being conducted by automated robots.

"I feel like I'm in some sort of futuristic factory, like in the movies… or something…" Cameron mused out loud as they continued to walk towards their intended destination.

"Hahaha, righ—"

"LOOK OUT, DUDE!"

"Whoa!" Judy nearly dove out of the way as a dark blue and grey object nearly ran into her in full speed, leaving a trail of black liquid in its path.

_**CRASH**_

"What the hell was that?" Nate stared in amazement as the object that nearly took out Judy crashed into a bunch of plastic barrels.

"Oil Man!" Two robots came running towards the crash site. One was orange and white coated with what looked to be scissor-shaped blades sticking out on top of its head. The smaller one next to it was a robot dressed in a baby-blue parka.

"Cut Man, Oil Man! What's going on here?" Rock questioned the new arrivals to the scene.

"Oh, hey Rock," the one named Cut Man greeted the brunette droid.

"Oil Man wanted to test out to see if the new additives in the oil would make his oil slider board run even faster," Ice Man shrugged his shoulders as he rolled his eyes towards the grey and dark blue robot getting up from the wreckage.

"Hey dude, I gotta put on a good show at the _X-Games_, you know…" the one called Oil Man began to brush off the paper and rubbish that he got on his exterior.

"Yeah, Oil Man, like when you start, like, controlling all the oil that you leave behind," Roll pointed out to the slick trail of black and viscous liquid left on the floor.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm working on that," Oil Man couldn't help but shrug in indifference.

"Great, now how are we going to clean all this up?" Rock pointed out to the mess that Oil Man has made, including the mess at the crash site.

Meanwhile, Nate, Cameron, and Judy just stood in place quietly, not wanting to interrupt the _drama _going on at Dr. Light's lab.

"Dude, now this is interesting…" Nate whispered to his friends.

"You've read my mind…" Cameron tried to stifle a chuckle.

"Agreed…" Judy nodded in the affirmative.

"How about with… BOMMMMMBBBBBBBSSSSSS!" Everyone turned around when they saw a black, orange, and yellow-cladded robot with a distinctive orange Mohawk emerge from the opposite end of where they're gathered.

"Bag your face, Bomb Man," Roll rolled her eyes to her side. "Like, we're trying to figure out how to clean up a mess, not make one like you do with your _as-if_ parties."

"Whoa now, Roll," the one called Bomb Man joined the rest of the group. "Don't be talking smack about my parties. You know I throw some pretty _bomb-_ass ones."

"As-if," Roll stuck out her tongue.

"Anyways…" Rock interrupted Roll and Bomb Man's squabble about the latter's parties. "You guys, this is Nate, Cameron, and Judy. They are Dr. Light's guests."

"Hi…" the three humans shyly replied in unison as they greeted the androids they were surrounded by. They were then bombarded greetings from each individual robot.

"Hello, I'm Cut Man and I was built for the purpose of the lumber industry."

"Ice Man here, reporting for duty. I typically perform tasks that human cannot do in extreme weather conditions, like in the Antarctic. "

"Yo, I'm Oil Man, and I'm always ready to put on a show. Other than that, I typically handle maintenance issues."

"What's happenin' guys? I'm Bomb Man and I love throwing some exploding parties! And I'm also a debris-clearing robot, like with mining and construction stuff."

After the formalities have been made, Rock decided that it was time for them to continue on to where Dr. Light would be meeting them. "Okay, well we got to take our guests to meet up with Dr. Light. You guys better clean this up before he finds out."

"Alright…" the other four robots replied in unison as they began to gather all the necessary items to clean up the mess that Oil Man had made.

"They all seem pretty nice," Judy pointed out as they continued on walking.

"Yeah, they get, like, in their crazy adventures, but we love them, right Rock?" Roll smiled wholeheartedly.

"Of course," Rock replied in the affirmative.

After a few more seconds of walking, the five finally reached their intended destination where the pathway they took came into an end in a squarish sector, complete with a human in a lab coat with a protective mask welding a device together.

"Dr. Light!" Rock had to nearly yell over the noise of the welding torch was making. It took several tries before he finally achieved success in getting the doctor's attention.

"Yes, Rock?" Dr. Light's muffled voice came towards them.

"Your guests have arrived."

"Ah, yes…" Dr. Light put the torch down on the table as he removed his mask, revealing his aged face and white beard. "Welcome to my home lab, Nate, Cameron, and Judy!"

* * *

_I'm crossing my fingers that I will get the next chapter out by two weeks tops. Otherwise, please don't forget to review =) You all are just way too awesome! _


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